Italian police arrest 181 in bid to stop Mafia rebuilding in Sicily

Italian police recently carried out a series of raids targeting Mafia clans operating in and around Palermo, Sicily's capital. Over 1,200 officers were involved in the operation, led by the Carabinieri military police. The goal was to "dismantle" the Mafia presence in the region, with an emphasis on preventing the reformation of the Mafia's governing body, the Cupola.

The raids were considered the largest of their kind in recent years and followed a troubling pattern of Mafia bosses being released from prison on appeal. Investigators revealed that even those still incarcerated were continuing their criminal activities using encrypted mobile phones. The Mafia's tactics have evolved, and they no longer need in-person meetings to coordinate, with some leaders managing to maintain control from hiding.

For more than a century, Sicily’s notorious Cosa Nostra Mafia held a tight grip on local towns, extorting businesses and profiting from drug trafficking. Though the 1990s saw anti-mafia prosecutors like Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino murdered in their attempts to take down the Mafia, authorities achieved major victories with the arrests of top mobsters such as Salvatore "Toto" Riina in 1993 and Matteo Messina Denaro in 2023.

Despite many mobsters being imprisoned, the Carabinieri have found that many managed to smuggle tiny mobile phones into their cells, allowing them to continue their criminal operations. Authorities uncovered encrypted communication through bugged homes and cars but have yet to crack the encryption, limiting their ability to eavesdrop fully.

The raids on Tuesday began at dawn, targeting Mafia clans from Tommaso Natale in the northern parts of Palermo to Porta Nuova in the city's center. The operation covered a wide range of alleged crimes, including Mafia association, drug trafficking, attempted murder, and armed violence. Among those arrested was Tommaso Lo Presti, who had spent 12 years in prison before his release in 2023. His controversial actions, such as celebrating his silver wedding anniversary in a Palermo church where anti-Mafia prosecutor Giovanni Falcone is buried, had sparked public outrage.