State and Carabinieri police
dealt a huge blow to the mafia in the area of the southern city
of Foggia with the execution of arrest warrants for 30 people in
a big operation.
The suspects are alleged members of the
Moretti-Pellegrino-Lanza and Sinesi-Francavilla mafia clans.
Around 10 of the suspects are convicts who were already in
jail.
The accusations include alleged mafia association, extortion
and attempted murder.
According to official case documentation, it is suspected,
among other things, that managers, former managers and a former
coach of Foggia soccer team were pressured by the mobsters to
sign a player.
Foggia are currently second-last in Italian soccer's second
tier, Serie B.
The Puglia mafia, the Sacra Corona Unita (United Sacred
Crown, SCU) is the smallest of Italy's four mafias.
It has dwindled to a fraction of its former strength thanks
to waves of police action.
But, unlike the other mafias, it has not stopped killing to
claim turf and retain power.
The other three mafias are 'Ndrangheta from Calabria, Cosa
Nostra from Sicily and the Camorra from Naples.
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