The Godfather Returns? US, Italian Authorities Crack Down On Resurgent Mafia Group

Equitalia, Rome, Italy, Police — A policeman stand in front of the entrance of an Equitalia office in Rome Reuters

American and Italian police raids on Wednesday have resulted in the arrest of 19 people connected to the Inzerillo mafia crime family in the Italian province of Sicily. The mafia group was seeking to re-establish a foothold in Sicily's capital, Palermo, after years of self-imposed exile.

Over 200 officers conducted the operations, between the Italian police and the FBI agents. The anti-mafia operation was dubbed the "New Connection," with $3.36 million worth of real estate and assets confiscated by the Italian authorities.

The Inzerillos are connected to a notorious New York-based mafia crime family, the Gambinos. After being decimated by the rival Corleone clan and its leader, Salvatore"Toto" Riina, in the early 1980s, members of the Inzerillo family moved to New York, where they then forged an alliance with the Gambino family.

Salvatore Riina died in Italian prison in 2017 and the weakened state of the Corleone-area clan meant the Inzerillos could gain power once again in Sicily, with the help of the Gambinos.

The various clans and members of the Sicilian mafia are known as"Casa Nostra" or "our thing" in Italian. The Italian parliament even has a bicameral commission dedicated to researching and investigating organized crime in Italy, particularly the Sicilian mafia. The mafia has formed in Italy over many centuries.

The mafia in the United States, on the other hand, became prominent in the 1920s during the prohibition-era, with five Italian-American families, including the Gambinos, dominating New York's organized crime scene.

Carlo Gambino, the boss of the Gambino clan, was one of the inspirations for Francis Ford Coppola's film and Mario Puzo's novel, "The Godfather."

In March, the reputed acting head of the Gambino crime family, Frank "Franky Boy" Cali, was killed outside of his home in Staten Island. The last time a Gambino family member was assassinated was in 1985 when "Big Paul" Castellano was killed in Manhattan.