Mafia: Sicilian clan 'trafficked drugs' with ambulances and funeral home

A mafia clan used ambulances and a funeral home to traffic drugs in the Sicilian city of Catania, a police investigation has revealed. Italian authorities have arrested dozens of people in dawn raids targeting affiliates of the Cappello-Bonaccorsi crime syndicates.

A total of 37 men aged between 24 and 56 were held on a series of charges, including mafia association, drug trafficking and unlawful possession of weapons as part of an operation dubbed "Revenge 5".

Among them were Salvatore Spampinato, 38, and Antonino Cosentino, 36, who respectively ran a non-profit NGO for emergency medical care and a funeral home. Detectives alleged ambulances of the first were used to transport drugs, including cocaine, undisturbed across the city, while the second served as logistics base for the clan trafficking activities.

The criminal gang, which featured several relatives of jailed Mafiosi, allegedly controlled the drug market in several districts and suburbs of Catania, including San Cristoforo, Monte Po' and San Berillo Nuovo.