Italian police arrest 17 mafia suspects

[News_Editor]

Italian police arrest 17 mafia suspects

2011-06-27 23:06:43 GMT+7 (ICT)

NAPLES, ITALY (BNO NEWS) -- Italian police on Monday arrested a total of 17 people suspected of belonging to two of Italy's three main mafias, ANSA news agency reported.

According to police, 12 suspected members of the Calabria-based 'Ndrangheta were arrested in the northwestern Italian region of Liguria. In addition, five people suspected of belonging to the Camorra criminal organization were detained north of Naples.

Police said those arrested in Liguria were top members of clans from Reggio Calabria who have established themselves in the provinces of Genoa, Imperia and La Spezia. During the sweep, police searched the offices of a regional councillor in Premier Silvio Berlusconi's People of Freedom party, Alessio Saso. The Calabrian-born Saso is under investigation on suspicion of vote buying.

In north of Naples, police detained five people - two men and three women - believed close to a jailed super boss of the notorious Casalesi clan in the Camorra, Francesco 'Sandokan' Schiavone. Schiavone has been in jail since 1998.

Earlier this month, Italian authorities arrested Gennaro Tuccillo, a leader of the Camorra mafia who was wanted for many offenses. The mafia leader, also known as 'Gennaro zi sant' (Gennaro the Saint), is wanted for three murders committed during a gang war.

Last month, Italian authorities arrested Giuseppe Dell'Aquila, one of the most-wanted men in the European country and the acting chief of two crime families in Naples, the Contini and Mallardo clans.

Dell'Aquila, also known as "Peppe," is considered one of the founders of the "alliance of Secondigliano", which brought together Camorra families and dominated the organized crime scene in Naples during the 80s.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-06-27