Italian police nab Mafia suspects
Italian police have arrested 19 suspected mobsters in raids in Sicily
Monday March 15 2010
Italian police have arrested 19 suspected mobsters in raids in Sicily, including the brother of the Mafia's reputed number one boss and some of his closest aides.
Officials said the suspects helped the top boss, Matteo Messina Denaro, run businesses from his hideout and deliver his orders to other families in Sicily and elsewhere.
They said the arrests cut avenues of communication for the fugitive boss.
Police in Trapani, Sicily, said the suspects were picked up in raids early on Monday.
Charges against them include Mafia association, extortion and fraud.
Messina Denaro has been on Italy's wanted list since 1993 for murder and other crimes.
He is believed to have climbed to the top of the Sicilian Mafia after the 2007 arrest of top boss Bernardo Provenzano.
