On Friday, over 100 Carabinieri officers launched a major operation to arrest 13 individuals. They were suspected of being involved in the Catania Mafia.
Dubbed ‘Leonidi bis,’ the operation was coordinated by Catania’s anti-mafia prosecutors (DDA) and followed an 18-month investigation targeting the ‘Santapaola Ercolano’ clan.
Investigators revealed a generational clash within the clan, with younger members challenging the authority of veteran leaders. Despite many of these older bosses being incarcerated in various prisons across Italy, they allegedly continued to issue orders by communicating via smuggled phones. This allowed them to manage the clan’s illicit enterprises, including directing the handling of profits from illegal activities.
Key figures in the investigation include Salvatore Battaglia, a notorious leader from the Villaggio Sant’Agata area in Catania, along with his brother Santo. Salvatore Battaglia is already serving time for Mafia association and murder charges, linked to a violent period in the 1990s.
During the operation, police confiscated several weapons, ammunition, one kilogram of cocaine, and six kilograms of hashish.
Italian police have been working hard to identify mafia activities and organisations. Earlier this year, they arrested 142 people suspected fo links with the ‘Ndrangheta clan.
