Interestingly these come the same day as major 'ndrangheta and comorra-linked busts in Calabria and Campania - presumably somewhat coordinated.
Anyway, nuts and bolts of what happened is reported to have happened in Bagheria is:
* Operation "Argo" led to 30 people being arrested for various offences including: mafia association, extortion, robbery, illegal possession of firearms, exchange electoral politics and organized crime and international drug trafficking.
* "Argo" specifically centred on the Bagheria cosca - a historical mafia stronghold - but drew in capofamiglia from elsewhere in the Bagheria mandamento - including Villabate, Altavilla Milicia and Ficarazzi
* Police claiming arrests have effectively "decapitated" the leadership of the Bagheria cosca with the arrests of Gino Di Salvo and Sergio Rosario Flamia - who they identify as the boss and underboss of the Bagheria family. They also arrested large numbers of Bagheria clan members.
* Police are also saying that among those arrested are the heads of the Villabate, Altavilla and Ficarazzi families, which make up the mandamento along with Bagheria.
* Police claim to have established links between the Bagheria cosca and regional election vote rigging. This relates specifically the mayoral elections in Alimena - a small village in the far east of Palermo province - and the election of a Northern League candidate.
* Definitely of interest to the North Americans here is the fact the arrests were conducted in partnership with Canada's Royal Mounted Police due to Bagheria's drug traffiking links with the Rizzutos and possible evidence of Bagheria providing hitmen or "zips" to carry out executions in Canada. This all seems to stem from the arrival of drug smuggler and Rizzuto associate Juan Ramon Fernandez Paz in Bagheria after being kicked out of Canada.
* More than €30 million seized - including lots of Palermo-based businesses such as major nightclubs, betting shops, supermarket stores and construction companies "seized" over their links to Bagheria clans.
* Not sure how exactly they found this out (paperwork, pentito, wiretaps??) but police are also claiming to have uncovered evidence relating to Bagheria bosses discussing mafia traditions and comparing new members to "young horses" - essentially treating them severely but rewarding them well until they are fully trained, fully skilled and fully submissive.
* The names of those arrested are: Giacinto Di Salvo, Sergio Rosario Flamia, Silvestro Girgenti; Salvatore Giuseppe Bruno, Driss Mozdahir, Francesco Centineo; Vincenzo Gagliano, Vincenzo Graniti, Pietro Liga, Salvatore Fontana; Michele Cirrincione, Atanasio Ugo Leonforte, Salvatore Lauricella, Pietro Granà, Rosario La Mantia, Raffaele Purpi, Vincenzo Gennaro, Umberto Giagliardo, Pietro Tirenna, Giuseppe Salvatore Carbone, Settimo Montesanto.
Links (Italian only, sorry):
http://www.gds.it/gds/edizioni-locali/palermo/dettaglio/articolo/gdsid/259452/http://www.gds.it/gds/multimedia/cronaca/gdsid/259632/ - IMAGES OF THOSE ARRESTED
http://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/2013/05/...eghista/586839/http://www.agi.it/cronaca/notizie/201305...nto_di_bagheria
