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| 'Mafiosi' held in US and Sicily | 'Mafiosi' held in US and Sicily |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Dozens of people have been detained by US and Italian authorities targeting an alleged Mafia-run transatlantic drug trafficking operation. | Dozens of people have been detained by US and Italian authorities targeting an alleged Mafia-run transatlantic drug trafficking operation. |
| The operation, codenamed "Old Bridge," saw arrests in and around New York and the Sicilian capital, Palermo. | The operation, codenamed "Old Bridge," saw arrests in and around New York and the Sicilian capital, Palermo. |
| More than 50 members of the notorious Gambino family were held by FBI agents in New York City and its northern suburbs, New Jersey and Long Island. | More than 50 members of the notorious Gambino family were held by FBI agents in New York City and its northern suburbs, New Jersey and Long Island. |
| Police in Palermo said they hoped to bring in 25 to 30 suspects. | Police in Palermo said they hoped to bring in 25 to 30 suspects. |
| 'Franky Boy' | |
| The FBI is said to have tracked suspects day and night, eavesdropping with sophisticated surveillance equipment. Law enforcement officials in New York announced more than 50 arrests | |
| One of those arrested in the raids in the US was Francesco Paolo Augusto Cali, of the New York Gambino family, known as "Franky Boy". | One of those arrested in the raids in the US was Francesco Paolo Augusto Cali, of the New York Gambino family, known as "Franky Boy". |
| He is allegedly the "ambassador" in the US of the Sicilian Mafia, the Cosa Nostra, tasked with improving relations between the various families. | He is allegedly the "ambassador" in the US of the Sicilian Mafia, the Cosa Nostra, tasked with improving relations between the various families. |
| At a news conference in New York, state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said organised crime was still a problem. | |
| "We like to think it's a vestige of the past," he added. "It's not. It is as unrelenting as weeds that continue to sprout in the cracks in society." | |
| 'Boss of bosses' link | |
| The list of charges against associates of the Gambino family include allegations of extortion in the construction industry, loansharking and embezzlement from trades unions. | |
| Several hundred police took part in the Italian side of the operation, mainly in Sicily. | |
| Senior anti-Mafia prosecutor Francesco Messineo told reporters in Rome: "There was an attempt to rekindle ties between Cosa Nostra in Palermo and New York because the Sicilian Mafia wanted to get back into drug trafficking in a big way." | |
| The Italian arrests included suspects connected with "boss of bosses" Salvatore Lo Piccolo, who was seized by the authorities in November. | |
| He took over after the arrest in 2006 of Bernardo Provenzano who had spent decades in hiding. |