The Italian government on Tuesday arrested no fewer than 130 people in a large-scale sting against the Sicilian mafia in Palermo.


The fresh arrests indicate that the organization has remained a significant criminal force despite setbacks in recent decades.

According to Carabinieri police in a statement, the suspects arrested on Tuesday were charged with various crimes, including drug trafficking, attempted murder, extortion, illegal online gambling and illegal possession of firearms.


The statement further said that additional arrest warrants were issued for 33 suspects who were already in prison for other crimes.

The police said investigations disclosed that Palermo’s mafia families coordinate their activities across the city and its province, like they used to in the golden days of Cosa Nostra, especially as regards drug trafficking.

They said inner city families had regained authority compared to the years in which they were dominated by a faction from Corleone – a town outside Palermo that was the birthplace of notorious bosses Toto Riina and Bernardo Provenzano.


Writing on X, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni lauded the arrests as inflicting a very hard blow to Cosa Nostra, and giving a clear signal that the fight against the mafia has not stopped and will not stop.


https://dailypost.ng/2025/02/11/italy-arrests-130-in-large-scale-raid-on-sicilian-mafia/