Around 130 people were arrested on Tuesday in a large-scale sting against the Sicilian mafia in Palermo, indicating that it has remained a significant criminal force despite setbacks in recent decades.

In the early 1990s crusading anti-mafia prosecutors were murdered as they tried to hit back. Then in 1993 the so-called boss of bosses, Salvatore "Toto" Riina, was arrested in Palermo, and in 2023 notorious mobster Matteo Messina Denaro was detained as he visited a local clinic.

Those arrested in the major operation, involving 1,200 carabinieri, are accused of mafia-type criminal association, attempted murder, aggravated extortion with mafia methods, drug trafficking, use and possession of weapons,

Scores of people suspected of being affiliated with the resurgent mob were arrested Tuesday during overnight raids in Palermo and the surrounding area.

Carabinieri led a huge crackdown on members of the Sicilian Mafia LCN today, capturing 181 suspects in a nationwide sting.

The Sicilian Mafia, the inspiration for the "Godfather" movies, is no longer the force it once was, subject to years of crackdowns by authorities and overtaken in terms of power and wealth by Calabria's 'Ndrangheta.

Italian police have arrested 160 members of Sicily’s Cosa Nostra, after wiretaps revealed moves by mafia families to recruit a new generation of footsoldiers and recreate their once-powerful ruling council.