Around 130 people were arrested today in a major police operation against the Sicilian mafia in Palermo.
This shows that the Sicilian mafia remains significant and powerful despite the setbacks of recent decades, Reuters writes.
The criminal organization Cosa Nostra, based in and around Palermo, terrorized Italy in the 1980s and 1990s, but was later supplanted by the Calabrian 'Ndrangheta, which became the most powerful mafia group in Europe.
Those arrested today are suspected of various crimes, including drug trafficking, attempted murder, extortion, illegal online gambling and illegal possession of firearms, police said.
Additional arrest warrants have been issued for 33 more people, who are already in prison for other crimes.
During the investigation, it was discovered that mafia families in Palermo coordinate their activities throughout the city and province, similar to the golden days of Cosa Nostra, especially when it comes to drug trafficking, according to police.
It is also noted that mafia families from the city itself have regained authority, unlike in previous years when the faction from Corleone – the birthplace of notorious bosses Toto Rina and Bernardo Provenzano – dominated.
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