Italian police smash Mafia clan
ROME, March 8 (Xinhuanet) -- Italian police on Tuesday arrested 84people believed to be members of a powerful Mafia clan running an extortion racket in a northern district of in Palermo, capital of Sicily, Italy's news agency ANSA reported.

How big player took on the Russian mafia and a KGB agent
VLADIMIR Romanov’s success in transforming himself from teenage black marketeer into respected international businessman was by no means inevitable.

Insiders spill the beans on real-life Mafia

"The Good Guys" by Bill Bonanno and Joe Pistone with David Fisher; Warner Books ($24.95)

This is one of the more interesting books about the underworld to hit the bookstalls. Instead of being crafted by a professional writer (Mario Puzo, Lorenzo Carcaterra, Peter Maas to mention three), this offering - a novel - comes from two gents who qualify as insiders.

Mafia accused wins hearts of the mob

A stylish dresser known as "Designer Don" and accused of involvement in a bloody Mafia war that has left 50 dead in the port of Naples has become an unlikely teenage heart-throb.

Alfonso Gagliano denies Mafia link
Ex-cabinet minister's alleged connection to New York crime family raised in Commons; He's a 'longtime soldier,' informant told FBI

Prosecutors say beauty shop owner ran mob family, shot man to death
NEW YORK -- The tan, neatly coiffed owner of a Bronx beauty salon shot a dog-walking fellow mobster to death before he rose to power as the acting head of the Bonanno crime family, federal prosecutors charged Friday.

Following the Afghan drugs trail
The Afghan drugs trade is growing so fast some fear the country could become a narco-state, where drugs barons rule, not the government.

Former mafia boss indicted
BOSTON (AP) - A federal magistrate has ordered former Mafia boss Francis "Cadillac Frank" Salemme held without bond until a detention hearing next week.

CALABRIA: MAFIA-POLITICS PROBE, EX MPS ARRESTED
(AGI) - Reggio Calabria, Nov. 9 - The Reggio Calabria police during the night issued six custody warrants in jail, issued by Catanzaro magistrate Antonio Baudi on request of prosecutors.

Israeli Mafia boss arrested in drug rap
The police arrested a reputed Israeli mafia boss Zeev Rosenstein Monday on an international warrant for smuggling drugs from the European Union to the United States, authorities said.

ALBANIA 'MAFIA' BROKEN
The feds have a new organized-crime target: the Albanian Mafia. Federal prosecutors issued racketeering charges against 22 people associated with an immigrant Albanian crime family called the Rudaj Organization.

Tucson home of late Mafia boss Bonnano for sale on eBay
TUCSON - The home of the late boss of the Mafia's New York-based Bonanno crime family was for sale on eBay on Monday. The estate of Joseph Bonanno is selling his Tucson home for $495,000.

Ex-cop breaks down in mafia kingpin hearing
A former elite policeman broke down on Monday in the Cape Town Magistrate's Court, where he had been summoned to answer questions about alleged mafia kingpin Roberto Palazzolo.

Rasool in mafia's crosshairs
Cape Town - The Chinese mafia has apparently set its sights on the Western Cape premier, threatening to kill him as the net tightens around dangerous criminals.

New Mexican Mafia Leader Arrested

SAN ANTONIO -- Members of the Bexar County Sheriff's Department Gang Unit arrested who they called the newly-crowned leader of the prison gang, the Mexican Mafia, KSAT 12 News reported in an exclusive report Thursday night.

Drugs worth one million US dollars seized in London
LONDON, Oct. 30 (Xinhuanet) -- Drugs worth nearly 560,000 pounds (about 1.025 million US dollars) have been found hidden in a cargo of vegetables at a warehouse near London's Heathrow Airport, police said Saturday.

Crime bosses are getting clever
Trying to understand the inner workings of organised crime syndicates can be as difficult as trying to figure out what drives television's mafia crime boss Tony Soprano.

MAFIA: ANDREOTTI US SPIN ON MY TRIAL
(AGI) - Rome, Italy, Oct 21 - Giulio Andreotti speaking in an interview to Panorama magazine said that he had to suffer 11 years of judiciary persecution because he has been a first line chorus dancer for too much time and there was somebody who wanted to change the show.

Remains of mafia captains identified
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Authorities have found the skeletons of two mafia captains, believed to be victims of a gangland shooting over 20 years ago, FBI officials said Monday.

Soccer Teams Hold Tribute for Mafia Boss
ROME (Reuters) - Players and fans at a local league match in southern Italy held a minute's silence to remember a suspected Mafia boss over the weekend, angering politicians and embarrassing soccer authorities.

MAFIA: GASPARRI COMMENTS ACTS OF INTIMIDATION
(AGI) - Catanzaro, Italy, Oct. 7 - "The serious act of intimidation aimed at the Mayor of Reggio Calabria, Giuseppe Scopelliti, is the last in a long series of acts of escalation which have been taking place in various parts of the region", said Communications Minister Maurizio Gasparri.

Afghan drug 'mafia' behind assassination bid: minister
KABUL, Oct 7 : Drug lords are suspected of being behind an assassination attempt on Afghan President Hamid Karzai's running mate days ahead of elections, a government minister said Thursday.

Twin Blasts Hit Yekaterinburg Shops, Police Point at Mafia

Russia - Two explosions took place overnight in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg, in what appears to be the work of an organized crime group. There are no reports of casualties.

FBI digs up suspected gangland graveyard
NEW YORK -- The FBI dug up part of a suspected gangland graveyard on Monday in search of the body of a man who disappeared after killing the young son of late mob boss John Gotti in a 1980 traffic accident.

MAFIA: EX SICILIAN REGIONAL COUNCILLOR UNDER HOUSE ARREST
(AGI) - Palermo, October 1 - Ex Sicily councillor Vincenzo Lo Giudice, of UDC, has obtained house arrest after being arrested last summer under mafia association charges for being considered close to Agrigento province clans.

Mafia suspects indicted, arrested on East Coast
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. -- Eighteen people, including the man suspected of being No. 2 in the Gambino crime family, were charged Wednesday after an investigation into organized crime in Connecticut, Rhode Island and suburban New York.

Is Organized Crime Controlling Your PC?
A rise in attacks for financial gain, as opposed to attacks motivated by the creator's desire to gain notoriety, is a disturbing trend noted in Symantec's latest report on Internet security. Symantec is a leading provider of antivirus and PC security software.

Russian Mafia Figure To Be Released From Federal Prison
BASTROP, Texas A Russian Mafia don who masterminded a 1980's tax scheme is set to be freed Saturday from a federal prison in Bastrop.

Italy launches anti-mafia raids
Italian paramilitary police have launched a major operation against one of the most violent organised crime groups in the country.

Police arrest 67 in mafia swoop
DOZENS of alleged members of one of Italy's most violent organised crime groups have been arrested in a massive police operation in different parts of the country, anti-Mafia police said today.

Insurance Fraud Hits Record High
KOREA - Insurance fraud has hit a record high of 48.4 billion won in the first half of the year, the nation’s top financial regulator said Monday.

Mob dials for dough
The Gambino crime family has reached out and touched millions of phone users across the nation, the Daily News has learned.

Neighbors complain about drug sales at Carwin Park
STAMFORD -- At 3 p.m. at Carwin Park on Spruce Street, elementary school girls played on a swing set and middle school students punted a football back and forth over a jungle gym.

Tougher stand on drugs in jail
AUSTRALIA - WIDER powers to stop drugs in prisons are being sought by the State Government.

Mobster in Federal Court
(Buffalo, NY, September 16, 2004) - - A well known Mobster and Gambling Kingpin is being sentenced in Federal Court right now for trying to bully people out of money. Benjamin "Sonny" Nicoletti pleaded guilty to trying to extort $15,000.00 from a local man in connection with a bookmaking operation based in the Dominican Republic in 1998.

Child star in drugs bust
FORMER child star Macaulay Culkin had been arrested on drug charges, US authorities said today.

Fishing regulations criticized
WASHINGTON -- Federal fisheries regulations threaten the livelihoods of thousands of New England fishermen, but the prospects for change remained uncertain Tuesday following a congressional hearing.

A whiff of organized crime wafts over Little Italy feast
The red, white and green tinsel arches are back over Mulberry Street, along with the sizzling mounds of sausage and peppers. But there is also something unsavory in the air at Little Italy's Feast of San Gennaro: the whiff of organized crime.

Cooperation Is Vital To Tackle Hi-Tech Criminals
Organized Internet crime syndicates were dealt a major blow earlier this year, when the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit (NHTCU) and international intelligence forces caught suspects in the UK, Russia and the Ukraine.

PALERMO REMEMBERS DON PUGLISI, THE PRIEST KILLED BY THE MAFIA
(AGI) - Palermo, Italy, 15 September - Father Pino Puglisi 11 years after his murder in 1993, will be remembered today in Palermo with a series of initiatives, while yesterday evening a vigil was held in his home in the Brancaccio quarter, in Piazzale Anita Garibaldi.

Pair 'linked' to black market arms trade
Vanderbiljpark - Prosecutors have said a videotape and other evidence link two men arrested in South Africa to a global nuclear weapons black market that is being investigated by the United Nations.

Bulgarian Criminality Blossoms - Report
Criminal gangs in Romania and Bulgaria are "extremely dynamic" and involved in "a wide range of criminal activities which impact upon many European Union countries,'' San Francisco Chronicle reads.

<>2 more bodies found as drug-related deaths rise(Scroll Down)
CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico - Police discovered the bodies of two men who were killed and dumped in this violent border city in cases that appear to involve organized crime, authorities said Monday.

Putin's grip
The Russian president's crackdown on political opponents in wake of Beslan tragedy is widely criticized.

Crackdown On Mob Link To San Gennaro Feast
NEW YORK A former federal prosecutor will join the expanded board of the Feast of San Gennaro to counteract the most recent scandal for a street fair plagued by its association with organized crime.

Project Caesar marijuana grow ring busted
Over the past three years, indoor Marijuana grow operations have proliferated in the Greater Toronto Area.

Baroque Art: Thou Shall Not Steal Sacred Images
Brazilian authorities appear to have successfully stamped out an organized crime ring that pilfered sacred colonial-era images from churches and museums in Minas Gerais.

Mihajlovic: “Government is mafia funded“
BELGRADE -- Monday – Former Internal Affairs Minister Dusan Mihajlovic said that the mafia is still a main provider of funds for a majority of the countries more prominent political parties and politicians.

Mother jailed for carrying drugs, child endangerment
OAKLAND: The mother of a 5-year-old boy was arrested at the Pilot Truck Stop in Oakland Saturday after she was allegedly caught carrying drugs in the vehicle while her son was with her.

Search of Marshall home uncovers drugs, weapons
Three Marshall residents face felony drug charges after police discovered a large quantity of marijuana at their home last week.

Sicilian mafiosi return to plotting murder, but use foreign hitmen to keep their hands clean

After years of keeping the lowest of profiles, the Sicilian Mafia is back in action. And to avoid prosecution gang bosses are hiring foreign hitmen.

Police say kingpin nabbed in latest bust
MONTREAL - Police say they have broken up an international cocaine smuggling and distribution network based in Quebec and nabbed the organization's alleged ringleader.

2 YRS. FOR GAMBINO GEEZER
An elderly bag man for Gambino boss Peter Gotti was sentenced to two years behind bars for carrying cash and messages for the mob yesterday.

Mobster makes real-life mafia show
MOSCOW: A Russian mob boss, fed up with the "unrealistic mafia shows" usually shown on television has taken matters into his own hands by creating his own series.

Mayor, attorney tell details of report
Mayor Don Stephens and Rosemont attorney Robert Stephenson sat down with the Daily Herald after releasing the report they said should lay to rest any allegations of mob involvement. Here's a partial transcript of that interview. A complete transcript will be posted on the Daily Herald's Web site this weekend.

Drugs link to double shooting
A DRUG war is believed to be behind the two shootings in North Melbourne on Thursday night.

Holyoke Resident Sentenced for Possessing Drugs and Firearm, Reports U.S. Attorney
ISAAC TORRES, age 20, of 132 Sargeant Street, Holyoke, Massachusetts, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Michael A. Ponsor to 6 years in prison. TORRES was originally convicted by a jury of possession of a sawed-off shotgun in February, 2004 and later pleaded guilty to two remaining charges of possession of heroin, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Dad sent to prison for drugs in diaper
EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- A Vincennes man convicted of hiding crack cocaine from police during a traffic stop by stuffing it in his son's diaper has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Women arrested for drugs, weapon
A raid on a Picayune residence last Friday resulted in the arrests of two women and the seizure of drugs and a weapon, Picayune Police said.

Mafia code of silence
THE CONFLICT between Roberto Romulo and Max Soliven over a citizen's right of reply to scathing attacks in the press is an issue that refuses to die. It has spun a life of its own, and has now aroused interest overseas over what's the state of press freedom in the Philippines. It has ceased to be purely a parochial domestic controversy.

HK police step up operations to combat organized crime
HONG KONG, Sept. 9 (Xinhuanet) -- In support of a special operation code named "Operation Sun Rise" jointly conducted by the Hong Kong, Guangdong and Macao Police authorities, the Hong Kong Police mounted a series of operations to combat organized crime between Sept. 1 and 8.

Chinese officials embezzling billions in state assets, fleeing the country
KAIPING, China - (KRT) - In this city and many others in China, senior officials are embezzling tens of millions of dollars and fleeing overseas with their families.

New Haven uses new scanners to catch criminals

NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- The city is using a new weapon to track down criminals and tax delinquents: an infrared scanner that reads license plates and connects to a database of police and tax records.

The city will use the scanner to determine if property taxes are owed on the car, or if the car is stolen, has a stolen license plate or is not registered or insured.

Keeping Drugs Out Of The Hands Of Inmates
Workers at the Bonneville county jail are constantly watching for people trying to smuggle drugs into the jail.

2 men sentenced in teen prostitution
Two men who were part of a group that ran a prostitution ring involving two 15-year-old girls were sentenced Wednesday in U.S. District Court in St. Paul.

Three arrested on prostitution-related charges
Three employees of an adult entertainment center in Ronkonkoma were arrested on prostitution-related charges yesterday, Suffolk County police said.

Gaming chief knew of promoter's mob ties
(KRT) - Gaming Commission chairman Frank Friel knew of boxing promoter Arthur Pelullo's alleged organized-crime ties before testifying that he had never seen any evidence linking Pelullo to the mob.

North Ossetian government to resign in two days
MOSCOW, Sept. 8 (Xinhuanet) -- The government of Russia's North Ossetia republic, suffering the loss of over 350 people in last week's hostage-taking tragedy, will resign within the next two days, the republic's President Alexander Dzasokhov announced Wednesday.