criminal association, mafia-style political election exchange and drug trafficking. Restrictive precautionary measure for 10 people

The State Police of Trapani, on behalf of the District Directorate for Combating the Mafia in Palermo, have taken a restrictive precautionary measure, issued by the investigating judge of that capital, against 10 topicsall residents of the province of Trapani, seriously suspected, for various reasons, of mafia-style criminal association, mafia-style political election exchange, extortion and drug trafficking aggravated by the method and facilitation of mafia or influence peddling, breach of official secrecy and the illegal carrying and possession of weapons.

The precautionary measure summarises the results of the investigation launched in May 2021 by the Flying Squad of Trapani and carried out together with personnel from the Flying Squad of Palermo, from the local SISCO and from the Central Operations Service of the State Police.

The research would have made it possible document the structures and renewed criminal dynamics of the Alcamo and Calatafimi mafia familiesafter the arrest of numerous top historical figures.

Particularly in an attempt to bridge the gap emptiness that gradually arises, theIt is said that the Alcamo mafia family has appointed a local criminal as its new leader, who would exercise the regency by using numerous henchmen.

The investigation had made it possible to attribute a similar role as regent to another criminal from Calatafimi, who is believed to be the head of that mafia family.

In this context, the studies allowed to reconstruct a series of extortion practices, some have been guilty, others have only tried, to the detriment of local entrepreneurs – including an entrepreneur from Castellammare, with interests in the food distribution and real estate sectors, and two entrepreneurs from Alcamo who were active in the construction, earthmoving and car marketing sectors – which, according to the investigation findings, consisted of threatening retaliatory measures if victims did not payin the hands of a man trusted by the head of the Alcamo family, an amount of 50 thousand euros.

In the area of ​​Alcamo, more extortion practices are said to have taken place against the owner of a riding school. He was forced to leave his business after a dispute arose with a person close to the association.

La threat of retaliatory behavior He is then said to have forced a bouncer from Trapani to give up his job at a commercial establishment in that capital in favour of the son of a well-known local criminal, the one who had taken the precautionary measure.

The research is also the existence of a business partnership documented – mafioso to be able, even in return for monetary compensation, to exercise the free exercise of electoral consensus, the ability of the organization to sway local votes in favor of a candidate from Alcamo, provincial coordinator of the political movement “VIA”, demonstrating clear evidence of guilt against a former senator of the Republic from Alcamo, inspirer of the aforementioned movement and promoter of a request for votes to the mafia family, in exchange for a monetary compensation of about 3,000 euros, on the occasion of the regional elections in Sicily in September 2022.

Finally, the investigation would have provided useful evidence regarding thedrug trafficking activitieswhich the gang carried out thanks in part to the contribution of Albanian suppliers, and the possession of weapons hidden by the suspects and at the disposal of the group, thus highlighting the transversality and criminal calibre of the accomplices.

In this connection, during the investigation, one of the gang members was arrested for possession with the aim of trafficking more than 9 kilos of marijuana. On that occasion, during the search, two sawed-off 2-gauge shotguns were also found, along with their ammunition. Both were stolen goods.

At the same time as the precautionary measure, 8 search warrants executedissued against an equal number of persons, who were being investigated in various capacities for influence peddling, breach of official secrecy and illegal possession and carrying of weapons.