Investigation on Mezzomonreale mafia clan and mafia statute closed in Palermo: 11 people notified.

Last Updated: October 28, 2023

The investigative unit of the carabinieri in Palermo has notified eleven notices of conclusion of investigations for Operation Roccaforte, which dismantled the Rocca-Mezzomorreale mafia family in the Pagliarelli area last January. Seven people were arrested in Palermo, Riesi, and Rimini, with five being sent to prison and two placed under house arrest. The suspects are accused of mafia association and extortion, with the aggravating factor of facilitating mafia activities and using intimidation and silence. During the investigation, interceptions and surveillance enabled the carabinieri to hear a meeting held in the countryside of Caltanissetta, where the suspects repeatedly referred to the “statute” of Cosa Nostra’s rules, a sort of code that still governs the existence of the Palermo mafia. The carabinieri also prevented a murder plot against an architect, as well as numerous extortions and demands for protection money, including one carried out with a doll having a bullet in its forehead.