In my opinion the single most important core racket that the Mafia ever operated throughout its entire history back in Sicily was extortion, in all its varied forms. Extortion and shakedowns, or il 'pizzo,' was the easiest and most rudimentary racket for all of them. Long before even narcotics came along, extortion was in their bones.

With the great wealth they developed over the decades (over the centuries), they were able to deeply infiltrate the Italian government to the highest levels. Even in Rome. THIS truly gave them their power as 'kingmakers' and 'invisible governors' over nearly the entire nation.

Their control over government and business was, and is, so much more pervasive than we ever had here in the United States that its even hard for us to truly comprehend how deeply they dug into Italy's soul.

In Italy and Sicily, Cosa Nostra is a 'second government' in the truest sense of the word. In the last few decades they've been busted up a lot, but don't kid yourself, they still have deep ties to the highest politicians and businesses there.