May 17 2007
Sicilian mobsters on the rise in New York
NEW YORK - U.S. and Italian government officials have begun working in tandem to fight the re-emergence of the Sicilian mafia in New York.
With major Sicilian mobsters recently being released from prison, the Italian government and the FBI have created “The Pantheon Project” as a means to limit the effect the organized crime members have in their native land and New York, The New York Post said Monday.
“Despite convictions and crackdowns both here and in Sicily, the Sicilian mob is still part of the Mafia culture and have been reconstituting their power bases in the U.S. and abroad,” one top Mafia expert said.
The new international project will focus on limiting the drug trade, the Sicilian mafia’s top earning source, in part through an exchange of government agents.
The Post said the two governmental groups will also share related intelligence with one another to aid in their preventative efforts and track connections between New York mobsters and their native Sicily.
by UPI May 15,2007 http://www.bendweekly.com/Nationwide-News/5783.html
