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Origin of the Mafia
Originated in the Sicilian countryside in the mid 19th century. Noblemen needed protection over their farmland when they were absent, they hired administrators “gabelloti” who recruited private guards-> which would eventually turn into mafia brotherhood. At this point it was not organized. -
Mafia in the U.S.
Mafia is rising to power in the U.S. as crime syndicates take advantage of the prohibition and the bootlegging industry. Cosa Nostra is established in the U.S. as a separate entity from Sicilian CN however they still share values of honor and omerta.
Short video: TimeToast -
Fall to Fascism
During Mussolini's reign in Italy as Fascist dictator he waged a crusade against the Italian mafia. The Mori Operation and Anceschi Operation were put into place to eliminate mafiosi in Sicily and Naples. Thousands of arrests were made and the mafia was greatly weakened, however they were not eradicated. -
Operation Husky
In Operation Husky, allied forces invade Sicily. AMGOT supported the mafia in political positions because they preferred coexistence with the mafia then to have fascists in power. The Mafia starts regaining their power in Southern Italy and is very politically powerful (Image pictures Calogero Vizzini- who was a well known mafia boss that was appointed mayor of Villalba in Sicily) -
Camorra
In the 1950s and 60s, Camorra in Naples gained some power, and began reemerging after Fascism through smuggling heroin and cigarettes through their ports -
First Mafia War: Ciaculli Massacre
From 1962-1963 there was an open war amongst mafia families broke in Palermo, causing mass arrests. Seven soldiers were killed, which led to the first police reaction, resulting in 2000 arrests -
Trials of Catanzaro & Bari
In 1968 (Catanzaro) and 1969 (Bari) during the resulting trials of the massacre, hundreds of mafiosi were acquitted due to lack of evidence and denial of existence of the mafia -
Second Mafia War
From 1981-1983 over a thousand homicides occurred, including assassinations of judges, prosecutors, and politicians, as Cosa Nostra family Corleonesi gained power in Sicily, under the control of Toto Riina (boss of bosses) -
Maxi Trial
The Maxi Trial in Palermo was the first time the mafia was tried as a single hierarchical criminal organization, and found the Corleonesi guilty -
Falcone & Borsellino
Judges and Prosecuting magistrates, Giovanni Falcone (May 23) and Paolo Borsellino (July 19) were murdered in car bombings, because of their anti Mafia efforts.
They will be remembered for their heroic devotion to the Italian state and fighting against the Mafia. -
Art 41/Bis Penal Code
Special detention centers made for mafiosi and terrorists, with extreme restrictions on inmates. For example, restricted yard time, special survailance, limited contact with lawyers/family, and isolation from other inmates -
The Attacks of 1993
In retaliation to the Maxi Trial, the mafia declared war with the Italian state. After the arrest of Toto Riina, his supporters continued his terrorist reign and bombings were set in Rome, Florence, Sicily, and Milan.
American News clip investigating attacks: TimeToast -
Ecomafia
Casalesi clan of Camorra in Naples invented ecomafia which is environmental crimes. They controlled both legal and criminal markets by working with large companies to expose of their waste, when they had no where to dump it they would burn it or burry it leading to extreme pollution. In 2009 USS Navy did research of chemical analysis in Naples and found extreme levels of toxins and chemicals. Which resulted in high cancer mortality. -
Ndrangheta's Biggest Drug Seizure: Operation "Stammer"
Since the 1970s Ndrangheta was a huge part in the drug smuggling in Europe. Since the 90s Ndrangheta has been considered the pipeline of drugs (especially cocaine) as the middleman from suppliers in Southern American countries to buyers in Europe. In 2017 8 tons of cocaine were seized in Columbia and massive amounts of arrests were made in Calabria.