Emergency

Mafia Clan Led By Wives Who Used Social Media To Terrify Victims Busted

A Mafia clan led by the wives of jailed Mafia bosses who allegedly used social media to terrify victims has been smashed in an Italian police operation.

The Chief Prosecutor of Bari, Roberto Rossi, said that the arrests smashed a dangerous criminal network that combined the “brutality of the rural Mafia” with the “intelligence” of the business Mafia.

The wives of the two jailed Mafia bosses were described as their “regents in freedom”, receiving their instructions from prison and enforcing them with what is said to have been enormous criminal energy.

Part of the seized items during the operation in which Italian mafia clan ruled by the wives of the bosses was shut down by the police. (poliziadistato/Newsflash)

Investigators said that there had been many people who have fallen victim to extortion at the hands of the Mafia clan.

Victims ranged from people harvesting mussels through to second-hand car salesman – with the clan rarely having to resort to violence as they relied on their fearsome reputation to ensure payments were made without problems.

This included for example posting a video on YouTube which was described by officials as “a celebration of the Mafia lifestyle” that included three real gangsters in the group. The posting, which paid homage to what they did to terrify the victims, was dedicated to “somebody currently in prison”.

Part of the seized items during the operation in which Italian mafia clan ruled by the wives of the bosses was shut down by the police. (poliziadistato/Newsflash)

The operation was coordinated by the District Anti-Mafia Directorate of Lecce that saw 38 people arrested for Mafia association, criminal association and drug-trafficking as well as extortion, possession of illegal weapons and violence. Of those arrested, 20 were remanded in custody, while another 18 were placed under house arrest.

The police operation also included probing Nicola and Giuseppe Pascali, currently in jail, who it is alleged were using their wives to run their criminal organisation.

In order to carry out their day-to-day activities, they allegedly developed relationships with the Neapolitan Camorra as well as Albanian crime gangs.

Part of the seized items during the operation in which Italian mafia clan ruled by the wives of the bosses was shut down by the police. (poliziadistato/Newsflash)

The items seized that he referenced included several kilogrammes of cocaine and EUR 200,000, as well as guns with silencers and ammunition, including a Beretta 7.65 calibre and a Weihrauch calibre 38 special revolver pistol. They also recovered a 6.35 mm calibre pen gun.

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