Palermo Chief Prosecutor Maurizio de Lucia tells parliament’s anti-mafia commission that organised crime groups are looking to rebuild a “high-quality arsenal”. These include drone weapons Italy is unprepared to defend against.
Palermo Chief Prosecutor Maurizio de Lucia said on Tuesday that the Mafia is seeking to acquire drone weapons of the kind being used in the war in Ukraine, warning that organised crime groups in Sicily are actively working to rebuild a more sophisticated arsenal.
Speaking to parliament’s anti-mafia commission, de Lucia said investigators had already traced weapons entering Italy through an unexpected route. “We have found weapons originating from Salento (in Puglia) but which actually came from the Balkans — the former Yugoslavia,” he said.
De Lucia went on to describe a shift in the type of weaponry now attracting the Mafia’s interest. “We are aware of the Mafia’s interest in more sophisticated weapons,” he said. “For example, those that have emerged on the black market during the Russia-Ukraine war. We have indications of purchases of drone-launched munitions — weapons against which we are unprepared to defend ourselves.”
He said the pattern points to a deliberate strategy rather than opportunistic acquisition. “So there is an attempt to rebuild a high-quality arsenal,” he told the commission. “This is true both in the Palermo district and in other areas.”
