Italian police on Wednesday arrested
10 suspected members of the Sicilian Mafia on suspicion of
running drug and protection rackets in and around the
southwestern coastal city of Agrigento.
Operation Condor took place in the eastern part of the area,
between Licata, Palma di Montechiaro, and Canicattì and
uncovered a Cosa Nostra gang dealing in drugs and extorting
businessmen, police said.
Over 100 police also carried out 20 raids on buildings in the
area.
Condor is part of police efforts to track down Cosa Nostra's no
1 fugitive boss, Matteo Messina Denaro aka Diabolik, 60, who has
been on the run for 30 years and is among the world's ten most
wanted criminals.
Police said the operation had also unveiled links between Cosa
Nostra and its Calabrian neighbour 'Ndrangheta.
One side-effect of the protection rackets on local grape
producers was to triple the price of their products, police
said.
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