Organized Crime in Italy

Italian organized crime enjoys a global reputation thanks to countless movies depicting its activities. Its story began not in Hollywood, however, but on the island of Sicily. By the late 20th century, Italian organized crime had moved to the mainland. Today, organized crime is largely regional, dominated by powerful families and alliances that control everything from drug and weapons trafficking to local protection rackets and the cement industry. Regardless of the ongoing competition between families and alliances that sometime breaks out into so-called Mafia Wars, the groups will not disappear anytime soon — though as long as they are forced to focus on regional control, their hand will remain weak.