About 150 people have been arrested after raids against the Sicilian mafia Cosa Nostra, reports The Guardian.
The effort was made in and around the island’s main town of Palermo, and the police issued arrest orders against a total of 183 people. 36 of them have previously been imprisoned for crimes such as attempted murder, extortion, drug trafficking and illegal gaming.
Over 1,200 police officers participated in the operation, which is the largest against the group since 1984. According to the country’s militarily affiliated police force Carabinieri, the purpose of the raids has been to “dismantle” Mafia’s organization in several areas, and get information on how they manage their operations.
Using encrypted mobile phones
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has paid tribute to the effort and calls it “extraordinary” in a post on X.
“A result that confirms the state’s incessant involvement in the fight against organized crime,” she writes.
Weapons and encrypted mobile phones were found in the raids. According to the investigators, imprisoned mafia bosses have been able to control the criminal activity from their cells, through mobiles that they have succeeded in smuggling. A leader for a local branch also managed to stay hidden and at the same time maintain control of organized crime in the area through encrypted chats.
“In its own territory, the mafia has complete control,” said a police officer during a press conference, according to The Guardian.
Police: Still recruiting
In recent years, several members of Cosa Nostra have been arrested, but according to police, the Sicilian mafia still manages to recruit “a large number of young people who adopt their principles”, and who offer to work for them.
Cosa Nostra, who inspired Francius Ford Coppola’s “Godfather” films, spoke in Sicily during the 1980s and 90s. Among other things, they became notorious for the murders of the judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino in 1992.
Today, however, ‘Ndrangheta, a group operating in Italian Calabria, is considered to be the most powerful mafia in Europe.