Police and the FBI carry out raids targeting New York's Gambino family and the Inzerillo Mafia in Italy where the US mobsters have helped the Sicilians rebuild their powerbase (24 Pics)
A 200-strong force of FBI and Italian police targeted the New York Gambino family and the Sicilian Inzerillo Mafia during dawn raids this morning in Sicily and the US.
Eighteen suspected gangsters were arrested in Palermo, including Salvatore Gambino, the mayor of the Sicilian town of Torretta, while another was detained in New York.
The crackdown comes as police say the Inzerillo clan are seeking to re-establish their old power-base in Sicily with the backing of their Gambino allies in New York.
Two of those arrested - Francesco and Tommaso Inzerillo - are the brother and cousin respectively of Salvatore 'Totuccio' Inzerillo, a don who was murdered in a vicious war in the 1980s forcing his family into self-imposed exile in the US.
Suspect Rosario Gambino, wearing shades and a Ralph Lauren shirt, is taken into custody during an anti-Mafia operation by the Italian Police and the FBI in Palermo, Southern Italy on Wednesday morning
An FBI agent escort head of the Inzerillo clan, Tommaso Inzerillo, after operation 'New Connection' made sweeping arrests this morning - he is the cousin of Salvatore 'Totuccio' Inzerillo, a mob boss who was murdered in a ferocious Mafia war in the 1980s
Two police officers escort Thomas Gambino, including one from the FBI, in this morning's operation, he is considered to be a key player
The FBI said they secretly filmed key player Thomas Gambino holding a covert meeting with the head of the Inzerillo family, Tommaso, on a rubber dinghy off the coast of Palermo last summer
Salvatore Gambino, mayor of the Sicilian town of Torreta, is escorted by police officers on Wednesday morning
Salvatore 'Toto' Riina, head of the Corleonesi family, launched a bloodbath on the Mediterranean island in the 1980s, forcing the Inzerillo family to flee as he took over.
But Riina's old empire has been in turmoil since he died in prison in 2017 after spending almost a quarter of century behind bars.
And those who Riina had wanted dead - dubbed 'the runaways' - created a 'special link between Palermo and New York,' said Italian prosecutor Roberto Tartaglia.
These Inzerillo 'runaways' have looked to reclaim their old business since Riina's death, police said, helped by Gambino backers in New York.
'They were the losers who ran away so they wouldn't be killed by the Corleonesi (under Riina),' said Palermo police commissioner Renato Cortese. 'They continue to be losers.'
Among those arrested was Thomas Gambino, considered by the FBI to be a key player.
During their investigation, they said, they secretly filmed Gambino holding a covert meeting with the head of the Inzerillo family on a rubber dinghy off the coast of Palermo last summer.
The suspects are accused of Mafia association, aggravated extortion and fraud while operating wholesale food supplies and gambling dens, ANSA reported.
Around £2.7million in real estate and other assets were seized by Italian authorities, CNN reported.
Central Anti-Crime Director of the State Police Francesco Messina (left) and Prosecutor Salvatore De Luca (right) talk during a news conference after a coordinated crackdown
Suspect Antonino Fanara is marched through the centre of Palermo on Wednesday morning as members of the public watch on
A suspected gangster, Francesco Inzerillo, is hauled away by police officers this morning in the massive operation - he is the brother of Salvatore 'Totuccio' Inzerillo, a mob boss who was murdered by Riina's men in the 1980s
Two policemen escort Santo Cipriano as part of the crackdown on the Mafia allegedly attempting to re-establish themselves in Sicily
Two police officers escort Gaetano Sansone arrested in Palermo as part of the anti-Mafia operation in the Sicilian capital
'The investigation, dubbed "New Connection", has registered the strong bond established between Cosa Nostra Palermo and U.S. organised crime, with particular reference to the powerful Gambino crime family of New York,' a police statement said.
The Gambino crime operation is one of the five historic Italian-American Mafia families in New York.
Past charges against family operatives have included murder, loan sharking and illegal drug distribution.
The boss of the family, Francesco 'Franky Boy' Cali, was gunned down in front of his Staten Island home in March. It was not clear if his murder had anything to do with tensions in Sicily.
Cali was married to Pietro 'Tall Pete' Inzerillo's sister Rosaria.
Pietro was found dead in the boot of his car with $5 stuffed in his mouth on Staten Island after Riina ordered the murder of his brother, the Inzerillo chieftain Salvatore during the 1980s war in Sicily.
Cali's marriage into Mafia aristocracy perpetuated his ascent and helped forge deep ties between the Gambinos and the Inzerillos who fled Sicily.
The surviving members of the Inzerillo clan were granted pardons by Riina's Corelonesi clan after the war on the condition that they never set foot in Sicily again.
That condition appears to have been breached as those 'runaways' have returned in the wake of Riina's death.
Masked police officers lead Giuseppe Sansone away this morning in the Sicilian capital
Two policemen escort Alessandro Mannino arrested in Palermo on Wednesday morning - many of the officers concealed their identity from photographers
Antonino Fanara dressed in a green-striped shirt is lead away this morning by two officers, one wearing a mask and sunglasses
Gabriele Militello is taken in by police officers this morning, in an operation involving a joint task force of 200 officers
Giuseppe Lo Cascio looks down the barrel of the camera lens as he is taken in by officers
Giuseppe Spatola grins as he is taken away by officers holding a sheet of paper in his hands
Once all-powerful on Sicily, the Mafia has been squeezed over the past two decades, with many bosses put behind bars, many of its businesses sequestered and many locals ready to defy it.
Despite these setbacks, prosecutors have warned repeatedly that the group is looking to rebuild.
The state's fight against the Mafia got serious in 1992 after the group murdered two of Italy´s top magistrates, Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, triggering national outrage and finally forcing complacent politicians to act.
Police said Wednesday's arrests were a fitting way to mark the 27th anniversary of Borsellino's death, which falls on Friday.
Italian newspapers revelled in the story.
'The Godfather returns', was the headline in the daily La Repubblica.
'In Palermo, it's three am, and muggy. In New York, it's 9pm on an evening that looks like rain,' the paper wrote.
'A WhatsApp message is sent. It's the sign the police and their FBI colleagues have been waiting for.
'Off they go, through the streets of Passo di Rigano, Boccadifalco, Torretta and at the same time, Brooklyn, Staten Island, New Jersey. Because from Sicily to the US, the old Mafia has returned,' it said.
Two policemen escort Calogero Zito away this morning, the suspects are accused of Mafia association, aggravated extortion and fraud while operating wholesale food supplies and gambling dens, ANSA reported
Two policemen escort Francesco Di Filippo through Palermo on Wednesday morning
Antonino Lo Presti was arrested along with 17 others in the Sicilian capital on Wednesday morning
Antonio Di Maggio is taken away by two officers wearing ball caps in Palermo this morning
