(ANSA) - Catania, July 7 - Police in this Sicilian city have smashed a mafia ring accused of murder, extortion, laundering and corruption, judicial sources said here on Thursday.
Carabinieri arrested 55 people in a series of coordinated raids in the early hours of the morning and are searching for a further eight.
Twenty people already in jail also face charges. The large-scale operation followed three years of
investigations, which revealed widespread racketeering among local businesses.
The gang had also infiltrated local authorities in order to win public contracts, said the sources.
Police say several murders were planned for the immediate future, including ones within the group, which was split by infighting.
