They are accused, among other things, of belonging to the mafia, arms and drug trafficking and extortion, the anti-mafia authorities in Sicily said in a press release. The investigations were directed against clans of the Cosa Nostra, the Sicilian mafia, which control the drug trade in Sicily.
The clans are also said to have supported families of arrested mafiosi, it is suspected. The investigators explained that Cosa Nostra is once again focusing more on drug trafficking, which is an important element in the budget of the mafia families. Thanks to the flourishing drug trade, those arrested could have expected an income of around 80,000 euros per week.
In the course of the investigation, 16 people were arrested in the act of drug possession and around 80 kilograms of drugs were confiscated, including pure cocaine, hashish and marijuana with a market value of more than eight million euros.
In addition to drug trafficking, the members of the Cosa Nostra clans engaged in other illegal activities, such as extortion. They were also behind the theft of 16,000 face masks during the first phase of the pandemic in spring 2020. The masks were illegally sold.
Source: Nachrichten
