The Mafia "continues to maintain its grip" in Sicily, according to local police, but that grip just loosened somewhat after dawn raids this week led to scores of arrests. The numbers are still settling, but various outlets report that between 150 and 180 individuals were detained and weapons were collected on Tuesday morning, in what area media is calling the largest crackdown against La Cosa Nostra in four decades, per CBS News.
Upward of 1,200 law enforcement officers were involved in the raids, aimed at "dismantling" mob clans in the area after two years of investigations. The blitz went after individuals with warrants for a variety of crimes, including drug trafficking, attempted murder, unlawful gambling, and extortion. In a statement, Roberto Lagalla, mayor of the Sicilian capital of Palermo, lauded the sting, calling it a "historic blow to the [Mafia] that is trying to reorganize itself in the various neighborhoods of Palermo and the province."
La Cosa Nostra, once the inspiration for movies like The Godfather, has been weakened in recent years by police suppression and the loss of power to other organized-crime syndicates such as Calabria's 'ndrangheta. But the New York Times notes the group, although it remains "strongly tied to the rules of its founding fathers and its ancient rituals," per Italy's Carabinieri, has also kept up with the times, avoiding meetings in recent years by using encrypted smartphones and other means to avoid capture. (More Mafia stories.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
