Italy’s former most wanted mafia boss is dead

The boss of the Sicilian Cosa Nostra was only arrested in mid-January after three decades on the run. After his death, there was speculation in Italy about his possible successors.

A number of prominent Sicilian Mafia godfathers are poised to inherit Messina Denaro and take over the leadership of Cosa Nostra, anti-Mafia experts claim. According to legal circles, a “merger” between the ruling clans is certainly possible. The bosses who could inherit Messina Denaro’s scepter include 70-year-old Stefano Fidanzati from the well-known drug trafficking family Fidanzati dell’Arenella and boss Giuseppe Auteri, who went into hiding last year, investigators claim.

Realignment of the clans

The debate about Messina Denaro’s successor also raises the question of whether a single leading figure is still appropriate given the realignment of the clans. Because they have long since shifted their focus to infiltrating politics, administration and business and usually act anonymously. This could mean that Messina Denaro, who was considered the “Invisible Man”, may have been the last known face of the Cosa Nostra. His arrest last January and his death mark the structural change in the mafia, which could make the fight against it even more difficult.

“Mafia in Italy is not defeated”

Anti-Mafia experts claim that Messina Denaro’s death marks the end of an era. “It was the reference point for the old, traditional clans with strong local roots in the Sicilian provinces. But this does not mean that the mafia is defeated in Italy. It moves in other ways, especially by penetrating the economy,” explained Professor Enzo Ciconte, ex-parliamentarian and anti-mafia expert. The Cosa Nostra is increasingly feeling the effects of competition from the ‘Ndrangheta, the mafia of the southern Italian region of Calabria, which is more aggressive and spread worldwide. It does billions of dollars in drug and arms trafficking. The income from this business is invested in the legal economy.

Three decades on the run

After three decades on the run, 61-year-old Messina Denaro was only arrested in mid-January. At that time he wanted to be treated under a false name in a private clinic in Sicily’s capital Palermo for his colon cancer. The criminal’s health had deteriorated drastically in the past few days. On Friday evening, the treating doctors announced that Messina Denaro had fallen into an irreversible coma from which he would no longer wake up. At his own request, life support measures were discontinued.

Committed or organized dozens of murders

As a member of Cosa Nostra, Messina Denaro is said to have committed or organized dozens of murders – including the fatal bombings of mafia hunters Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, which made headlines around the world in 1992. Since his arrest, he has undergone two operations, the most recent in August. He also received chemotherapy. According to Italian media reports, the family was able to say goodbye to him in the past few days.

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