Italian Police hold nine Camorra suspects

Naples March 1 (IANS/AKI) Police Tuesday arrested nine Naples mafia suspects with links to the powerful Casalesi clan in an operation in several regions of Italy.

The suspects face charges including extortion illegal arms possession robbery theft fraud and abetting other mafia suspects were arrested from the provinces of Naples and Caserta in the Campania region Latina in the Lazio region surrounding Rome in Ravenna in the northern Emilia-Romagna region and Chieti in the central region of Abruzzo.

Tuesday s operation was ordered by anti-mafia prosecutors in Naples and targeted the Casalesi s Bidognetti clan investigators said.

In early February police in Naples detained jailed Camorra boss Francesco Bidognetti s two daughters and his daughter-in-law in an operation that led to the arrests of 31 suspects.

The Camorra is one of Italy s oldest and deadliest mafia organisations. Its main sources of revenue include drug trafficking extortion arms trading prostitution and waste disposal.

The ruthless workings of the Casalesi were laid bare by Roberto Saviano s best-selling book Gomorrah and the award-winning film of the same name.

--IANS/AKI
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