The Cosa Nostra is seeking to expand and modernise its arsenal with military-grade weapons, including drones and grenade launchers used in the war in Ukraine and then trafficked through the international black market, Palermo's chief prosecutor warned on Tuesday.
Speaking before Italy’s national anti-mafia commission in Rome, Prosecutor Maurizio de Lucia said the Sicilian mafia was trying to significantly upgrade its firepower.
He said the group is already believed to be using weapons including AK-47 rifles, while police have also seized explosives capable of causing major damage.
According to Il Fatto Quotidiano daily, the weapons seized so far came from the Salento region in southern Italy but probably originated in the Balkans. They are believed to include arms used during the wars in the former Yugoslav republics in the 1990s.
De Lucia said the mafia now appeared to be looking beyond those stockpiles and towards newer sources of military weapons.
That includes equipment used in Ukraine, where some of the weapons in circulation are among the most advanced available, he said.
He warned that Italy’s security services are not currently prepared to counter these new weapons systems.
De Lucia also raised concerns about conditions inside Italian prisons, particularly the widespread presence of mobile phones, including smartphones, in detention centres.
He said this allows jailed mafia bosses to continue running their clans from behind bars.
