A major anti-mafia operation led by the Palermo Anti-Mafia Directorate resulted in the arrest of 181 individuals, including mafia bosses from various parts of Palermo and its surrounding provinces.
Over 1,200 carabinieri participated in the operation, which uncovered the organizational structure of Cosa Nostra, detailing the business activities of its clans and their efforts to rebuild the provincial mafia commission, responding to the authorities’ recent actions that have led to the incarceration of thousands of mafia members.
The investigation focused on key areas, including Santa Maria di Gesù, Porta Nuova, San Lorenzo, Bagheria, Terrasini, Pagliarelli, and Carini.
The arrested individuals face various charges, including being part of a criminal mafia organization, attempted murder, extortion, committing or attempting crimes using mafia methods, involvement in the illegal drug trade, property crimes, violence, and illegal gambling.
The operation revealed a new system that mafia bosses used to reorganize their provincial commission, which had previously been dismantled during December 2018 arrests. Despite being imprisoned, mafia leaders still had access to micro SIM cards and coded cell phones, which they illegally smuggled into their cells, allowing them to communicate and issue orders without being detected.
Some of the arrested mafia members had already planned to escape. For instance, the brother-in-law of mafia boss Nunzio Serio, upon discovering a GPS tracker in his wife’s Smart car, fled Palermo to the north, fearing an imminent arrest warrant. He was overheard saying, “We are all being bombarded.”
Another mafia boss, who had narrowly escaped capture by a Guardia di Finanza patrol, planned to flee abroad with his family and secure his accumulated wealth through online gambling.
“I need to leave here… I need to change my residence… I’m leaving…” he said, adding that Italy has become unbearable for him.
