Cosa Nostra and Transnational Crime
Since the beginning of the 19th century, the Cosa Nostra crime family has had a presence in Sicily. The family expanded its operations to other parts of the world. In the beginning, the group’s primary focus was on protecting orange plantation owners and lords who held big land parcels, mostly from the bandits who were a part of the organization themselves, using any means necessary, even the most brutal. These events marked the start of racketeering activity. Later on, the Cosa Nostra evolved into a fully-fledged criminal organization by expanding its range of illegal pursuits. Banditry has taken over as the primary focus of the Cosa Nostra since the turn of the 20th century (Milner, 2021).
Cosa Nostra has become one of the most dangerous mafia organizations in the world. It continues to have a significant amount of influence over the criminal underground in both the United States and Sicily. It is believed that a large number of Sicilians originally from the island were involved in the establishment of mafia organizations in the US. The people who lived on the island brought with them a wide variety of customs, including some questionable ones. But while the mafia emerged in Sicily due to the circumstances of the impoverished countryside, it was in the great industrial centers of the United States that the Mafiosi acquired fresh chances while at the same time having the largest scope of their operations.
However, the Sicilians carried with them not just criminal activity but also the order that existed within the criminal families and clans, as well as the “concepts” of running a criminal enterprise. An organization like Cosa Nostra, which was able to unify the mafia of New York and Chicago, the two greatest cities in America, was able to come into existence as a result of internal cohesiveness, commitment to values, and brutal retribution for family treachery. As a result of the criminal allure it exudes, the Cosa Nostra maintains connections with all of the major criminal groups, both in Italy and across the world. Through the promotion of its signature illicit operations, which include drug trafficking, illegal weapons export, prostitution, blackmail, and casinos, Cosa Nostra causes a problem for mankind, civil order in society, and the ability to live a peaceful life.
Evaluating Cosa Nostra’s Role in Transnational Crime
In a global setting of growing chances for criminal activity, this shift came about as a result of the necessity to keep up with the competition posed by criminal organizations originating in Asia and Colombia. Other factors include domestic pressures from law enforcement agencies, societal marginalization, and the disintegration of a tolerant political elite that sometimes colludes with one another. Recent investigations have shown that international treaties that include the three most prominent Italian organized crime cartels now tend to be arranged in common, as do preparations for less conventional operations such as laundering money.
By the middle of the 1990s, there were very few parts of the globe that were unaffected by the existence or influence of the Cosa Nostra. Although trafficking illegal drugs over international borders is the primary international activity for Italian criminal organizations, trafficking illegal tobacco and weaponry has also played a significant part in the expansion of Italian organized crime’s worldwide activities and may even overlap. According to the findings of the study, in the short term, ongoing instability in Eastern Europe, the Balkans, and the countries that make up the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries reduces the likelihood of vanquishing or even comprising the growth of transnational organized crime groups like the Cosa Nostra (Milner, 2021).
Cosa Nostra and Systems of Justice
The bulk of the Sicilians who immigrated to the United States between the mid-1960s and early 1970s worked in pizzerias owned by either the American LCN or previous Sicilian Mafia immigrants (Milner, 2021). Both the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration have been involved in the investigation of the Sicilian Mafia in the United States. Both agencies collaborate extensively with significant local police departments, such as the NYC Police Department, and other Federal departments and agencies engaged in law enforcement. The collaboration and exchange of information between Italian and American law enforcement organizations is improving. The collaborative investigation against the Sicilian Mafia is primarily motivated by the significant drug issue shared by both countries.
There are three major Italian police departments committed to investigating the Sicilian Mafia:
- Central Anti-Drug Service (SCA) – Without operational control, the SCA coordinates the drug investigations of the three Italian police agencies.
- Police Nationale Italiane (State Police of Polizia dello Stato). This institution is responsible for investigating all crimes committed in Italy’s main cities. The state police has roughly 80,000 personnel. This institution executes tax, fiscal, excise, and smuggling regulations. It executes the anti-mafia law’s money confiscation provisions. There are 41,500 members.
- Arma dei Carabinieri (Judicial Military Police) – This force investigates crimes in big cities and locations where there is no state police presence. There are around 82,000 available jobs.
- Despite occasional disagreements, it is believed that Italy’s police agencies are becoming more efficient against the Sicilian Mafia and narcotics trafficking (History, 2019).
Cosa Nostra and Its Culture
The Sicilian mafia was never comprised only of thugs and criminals. These elements gave “La Cosa Nostra” – the Sicilian mafia, as contrasted to other mafia organizations — its power. In addition, these elements have their origins in traditional Sicilian culture, which approves of the utilization of violence to attain economic objectives and stresses the gap between proprietors and peasants.
When Italy was united, “mafioso” meant simply someone who distrusts authority. Anti-authoritarian extremism evolved organically from the Sicilian-Arabic slang phrase ‘acting as a guardian against the hubris of the strong, from whence the name evolved.’ Heroes of the Penitentiary, an Italian drama from the 1860s, promoted the term “mafia” by depicting “a gang of convicts in a Sicilian jail who preserved their own hierarchies and customs.
When the Italian state and later the church enlisted La Cosa Nostra to perform their dirty police job, neither expected the arrangement to be permanent. They turned a blind eye to extralegal bribes and intimidation, which subsequently affected all sectors of Sicilian industry and politics and even expanded overseas.
In particular, the religious aspect seems to be an important part of mafia identity. This can be seen in the ceremony of affiliation, which uses Catholic symbols and has many similarities to religious liturgies. It can also be observed in the altars discovered in mafiosi hideouts, the unclear connection with clergymen, and the obvious religiosity shown by mafia superiors in both private and public settings, such as at religious festivals. A big part of how mafia members talk to each other is that they often bring up faith and loyalty. This is especially true of written communication.
People used to think that the Sicilian mafia was a secret society where most of the information was passed down orally, and it was strictly forbidden to write anything about the group. In April 2006, the pizzini (messages) archive was found in Bernardo Provenzano’s hideout. This changed a lot of people’s thoughts because it showed that there was a well-established, efficient, and compartmentalized system of correspondence based on small typed notes and a network of carefully chosen messengers. There is proof that the mafia has used writing to talk to each other in the past (Merlino, 2015).
A written method of communication was the ideal solution for Provenzano’s requirement to mediate between various groups or persons, as it enabled him to determine the time and scope of the communication, postpone decisions, and organize the strategy to be implemented. Moreover, the Pizzini was not a neutral means of communication but rather the perfect platform for Provenzano to show himself in the new light as a knowledgeable, capable mediator motivated by deep religious faith. Indeed, religious themes and biblical quotes often accompany both mundane instructions and commercial topics. Examples include a letter addressed to Salvatore Genovese in September 1997 and the end of a pizzino sent to Bernardo Riina.
References
History. (2019). Origins of the mafia. Web.
Merlino, R. (2015). Devotion and Identity in the History of the Sicilian Mafia. The Case of Provenzano. Reset Dialogues. Web.
Milner, R. (2021). The dark origins behind the Sicilian Mafia explained. Grunge. Web.