Their findings were contained in a report to parliament on mafia activities in the first six months of 2023.
The report said the mafias have been adapting to social and economic changes for some time and have “replaced the use of violence, which is increasingly residual, although never repudiated, with strategies of silent infiltration and acts of corruption”.
“Today, the mafias prefer to direct their attention to business-entrepreneurial spheres, taking advantage of the huge capital accumulated through illegal activities,” added the report.
“Cases of intimidation against local administrators, both municipal councillors and mayors, are on the rise,” said the director of the DIA, Michele Carbone.
His comments came on the sidelines of the presentation of the report.
“This happens where corruption does not come into the equation. When that fails, intimidation begins,” he explained.
“There are episodes of collusion in the political and administrative apparatuses, as demonstrated by the long series of municipal councils dissolved for mafia infiltration,” continued Carbone.
“Where the many public administrations oppose these infiltrations, they are subjected to harassment and threats to make them bow down to these organisations.”
ANSA
