Italy defeating the Mafia?

The Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has now begun to boast on the impact his government has had on organized crime. Berlusconi is making it a point that the many indictments and arrests of mafia members be known by all. He has claimed his government has made more arrests then any other, and that fighting the mafia is a prime goal. Berlusconi and his interior minister have gone as far as saying that they have declared total war on the mafia.
There have been many arrests, some very high profile under the Berlusconi regime. There was a major mafia bust in May of 09 where 70 suspected members of the Naples based mafia or Camorra were arrested along with one of Italy’s dangerous fugitives Franco Letizia a mafia leader who had been on the run from law enforcement for years. Also captured was top mafia fugitive Giuseppe Bastone who was also on the run from Italian officials. In November of 09 Pasquale Russo, Carmine Russo and Salvatore Russo all suspected mafia members, were arrested.
Italy saw 21 of its 30 most wanted mafia members arrested. But many organized crime experts agree that this gloating is all for nothing as these arrests are simply a slight blow to organized crime in the region and at best a temporary setback. The Mafia organizations of the region Cosa Nostra of Sicily, ‘Ndragheta of Calabria , Camorra of Campania , and Sacra Corona Unita of Puglia  still maintain political and social control of there respected territories.
Many say the recent global economic crisis has helped organized crime to grow even stronger and that is true especially in the Italian regions. All four of Italy’s mafia groups have expanded loan sharking operations and used the proceeds to buy into legitimate businesses at very low prices as the owners go broke due to the economic climate. This offers the mafia organizations new revenue which can then be used in the drug trades and other operations. They have also used this cash flow to expand operations into other area’s such as cities like Milan which have until now stayed free of mafia influence.
Many think the Berlusconi government is using the “Defeating the Mafia” gloating as a distraction to keep citizens from questioning other scandals that Berlusconi has been linked to. There have been allegations of Berlusconi involved in sex scandals for over a year, as well as being linked to the mafia himself. Gaspare Spatuzza a mafia family turncoat or pentito has said that Berlusconi made a deal with Sicily’s Cosa Nostra just before he won his term as prime minister. Members of the Berlusconi government have also been linked to mafia payoffs and influence from powerful mafia clans such as the Casalese clan of the Camorra.
Many mafia experts state that the boasting of the Berlusconi government may cause a severe backlash by the mafia families of the region showing the Italian government may be a lot less competent and controlling on organized crime then it claims. Many think that the Mafia will strike back and possibly already have begun to with a recent bombing of a court room in Reggio Calabria. The bombing is by many seen as a warning sent by the ‘Ndrangheta  to Italian authorities to step back from its campaign against the mafia. The ‘Ndrangheta were likely flexing there muscle as they are known to be one of the strongest mafia families in Italy and is said to be the most impenetrable.
Claims of finally “Defeating the Mafia” by Mr. Berlusconi are very much far fetched!

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Tags: 'Ndrangheta, Camorra, Cosa Nostra, Italy, Organized Crime, Sacra Corona Unita