In a massive and unprecedented operation against organized crime in recent history, Italian police arrested some 130 suspects linked to the infamous Sicilian mafia, also known as the “Cosa Nostra”. The historic operation, launched early on the morning of February 11, saw over 1,200 police executing warrants against 183 suspects, 36 of whom were already incarcerated. The defendants face a laundry list of accusations, ranging from conspiracy, attempted murder, extortion, trafficking in illegal drugs, illegal gambling, and possession of prohibited firearms.
The Long-standing Cosa Nostra Presence
Despite efforts by law enforcement agencies to destroy the organization for years, Cosa Nostra is still influential in the island strongholds of Palermo. The investigation found that the organization had updated its operation in dealing with contemporary challenges by employing encrypted communication channels to share information and plan its criminal activities. Due to aggressive law enforcement successes, the mafia is also recruiting the youth to keep its operation going. Law enforcement officials found evidence of young men being trained by veteran members with “mafia lessons,” including extortion and mafia hierarchy. One showed a veteran mafia member initiating a recruit, teaching him how to handle bosses and extortion victims.
The government said the raid followed a two-year investigation that had uncovered large-scale mafia control of various sectors of the economy, including the seafood industry. The mafia’s capacity to extort local businesses into paying them protection money by intimidation, or “pizzo,” remains the primary source of revenue. Other companies were intimidated into buying their products only from mafia-related suppliers at elevated prices.
Major Blow to Organized Crime
Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni hailed the operation as a great victory over organized crime, labeling it a “confirm[ation] [of] the state’s firm determination to eliminate the mafia.” Palermo Mayor Roberto Lagalla characterized the raid as a “historic blow” to Cosa Nostra’s power.
The raid is the largest conducted against the Sicilian mafia since 1984. The operation also speaks to the determination of law enforcers in the face of threats from criminals on a daily basis. Many weapons were seized in the raid, and the arrests are said to be seriously disrupting the operations of the mafia.
A Modernized Mafia
Though “La Cosa Nostra” (This thing of ours”) is no longer as pre-eminent as it was in the late 20th century–having been surpassed in both power and wealth by Calabrian Ndrangheta–it remains a force to be reckoned with. The recent round of arrests is revelatory of how Palermo mafia clans continue to organize themselves, in this instance, in the narcotics trade. Unlike their predecessors, however, today’s mafia bosses avoid crowds and conduct business on encrypted cell phones, even taking them to prison with them in order to remain in command from behind bars.
Mafia families from the city center have reasserted their dominance over the years after being eclipsed by a Corleone suburb clan just outside Palermo that spawned notorious bosses such as Totò Riina and Bernardo Provenzano, police said.
Ongoing Struggle with the Mafia
The Sicilian mafia once controlled Italy through fear, with its reputation including ordering the killings of anti-mafia judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino in 1992. The killing triggered a ruthless state crackdown on “Cosa Nostra”, which relaxed its hold on the country. But as this recent crackdown shows, the battle against organized crime is only half-won.
The success of the raid is a open message: Italy is serious about fighting the mafia, and the law enforcement agencies will not stop innovating and adapting in the pursuit of justice. While the arrests are a huge step in the right direction, the authorities understand that breaking Cosa Nostra’s power will be an effort requiring synergy and eternal vigilance.
