Italy ramps up search for mafia godfather after dawn arrests of mobster allies
Police detained 22 of Cosa Nostra kingpin Matteo Messina Denaro’s closest aides and uncovering a secret network of messages that allowed the fugitive boss to give orders
Italian police on Thursday arrested some of Cosa Nostra kingpin Matteo Messina Denaro’s closest aides, uncovering a secret network of messages that allowed the fugitive boss to give orders to his mobster allies.
Police said in a statement that their “Year Zero” operation, which led to 22 arrests in towns near the Sicilian city of Trapani where Denaro’s criminal empire is based, allowed them to uncover a system of paper notes, or “pizzini”, that Denaro uses to communicate to his underlings.
“The operation is part of the larger investigative operation aimed at the capture of the fugitive Matteo Messina Denaro, also through the progressive weakening of his criminal networks and economic resources,” the statement said.
The suspects have been charged with crimes including mafia association and extortion.
Police confirmed to AFP that those arrested are Denaro’s closest allies, including brothers-in-law Gaspare Como and Rosario Allegra, who are alleged to manage the boss’ most important affairs.
News agency AGI quotes wiretapped recordings of one of those arrested on Thursday praising the January 1996 murder and dissolving in acid of Giuseppe Di Matteo, the 14-year-old son of mafia turncoat Santino Di Matteo, kidnapped in 1993 in an attempt to stop his father from collaborating with the authorities.