More Than 80 People Arrested In Italy During Anti-Mafia Operation - Law Enforcement

ROME (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th July, 2021) An extensive operation against Sicilian mafia (Cosa Nostra) is taking place in Italy on Monday, with arrest warrants already issued for 63 individuals while 18 others were placed under house arrest, the Italian Anti-Mafia Investigation Directorate (DIA) said.

The investigation uncovered the illegal activities of five mafia groups associated with Cosa Nostra, including the production and sale of drugs in the island's capital, Palermo.

Even though the groups entered a pact on the territorial division of the market, violence in the form of beatings, arson and "punitive expeditions" remained common, the DIA statement read.

The agency added that "the alarming balkanization" of the criminal situation in the Palermo suburb of Partinico allows to "foresee future scenarios of new and possibly inevitable mafia wars in the province."

The anti-mafia operation was carried out in such cities as Palermo, Trapani, Naples, and Rome, among others.

Officers concluded that the crime in Partinico continues to be controlled by the Vitale clan. While two of its leaders are now serving life sentences in prison, their relatives, including sisters, are still believed to be involved in illegal activities.