TRAPANI – The Cosa Nostra Sicilian mafia network, spearheaded by the highly sought-after Matteo Messina Denaro, was hit hard on Thursday morning, suffering a further setback after authorities confirmed the arrest of 22 alleged members of the group.

 Police, Carabinieri and Anti-Mafia Investigation Directorate (DIA) have ramped up the hunt for the fugitive head of the Sicilian Mafia. The raid in the province of Trapani intensifies the police grip on mafia affairs as they look to stamp out the illegal activity, particularly prominent throughout Sicily.

 The widespread, albeit seemingly weakening, influence of Cosa Nostra has burrowed into the region’s social and economic operations, largely preserved through the mafia’s fierce culture of intimidation.

 Authorities were able to identify, through the probe, Cosa Nostra’s pizzini notes, small paper annotations used by the Sicilian Mafia for high-level communications.

 The 22 arrested reportedly have ties to the mafia families of Castelvetrano, Campobello di Mazara and Partanna, all based in Trapani. They await further investigation under numerous charges including mafia association, extortion, damage, possession of weapons and fictitious registration of assets.

 The raid has given investigators a further insight into Cosa Nostra’s dealings, confirming Messina Denaro’s place at the head of the organisation as well as the heavy involvement of two of his brothers-in-law. Gaspare Como and Rosario Allegra, husbands of Bice and Giovanna Messina Denaro were amongst the 22 arrested.

 Thursday’s blitz also follows last month’s seizure of one of Denaro’s closest advisors, Salvatore Miceli, who received a 16-year sentence on charges of drug trafficking. The former narco boss had directed the vast illegal drug network between South America and Italy, earning him the nickname, “the Mafia’s foreign minister.”

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