Carabinieri and State police arrested
31 people early on Tuesday in a big operation targetting Cosa
Nostra.
The suspects are accused of crimes ranging from mafia
association to drugs felonies, the illegal possession of weapons
and extortion.
The police took 29 suspects to jail while two were put under
house arrest.
The operation took place in Palermo and there were also arrests
outside Sicily, in Reggio Calabria, Alessandria and Genoa.
The investigation that led to the arrests revealed the structure
of the Ciaculli and Brancaccio crime families within Cosa
Nostra.
Investigators believe that part of the money raised by their
criminal activities went to the families of jailed mobsters.
The probe uncovered 50 cases of extortion of retailers, with the
victims ranging from illegal street hawkers to the owners of big
stores.
In one case, a seller of Palermo's traditional 'sfincione'
focaccia bread had to contact one of the suspects after finding
the locks on their premises glued up.
Palermo Mayor Leoluca Orlando said the operation showed the
authorities must keep up their guard because "Cosa Nostra no
longer rules the city, but it has not been defeated".
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