The Italian mafia is abandoning the practice of armed clashes for primacy in certain areas, seeking partnerships in drug trafficking, prostitution rings and money laundering, underlines the Directorate of Investigation against the Mafia (DIA) in its annual report released today.

The Sicilian Cosa Nostra and the Neapolitan Camorra are forming alliances at home and abroad, while the Drageta – based in Calabria – is increasingly focusing on controlling public works, the report said.

“The coexistence has fostered synergies that have developed gradually and are now capable of absorbing “tensions and frictions,” DIA chief Michele Carbone told a news conference.

He warned that public works linked to the national recovery plan after the Covid-19 pandemic, plans to build a huge bridge linking Sicily to the mainland and preparations for the 2026 Winter Olympics are threatened by mafia infiltration.

The DIA also points to the technological sophistication of mafia members, who now use encrypted communication channels and maintain contact with prisoners via drones. They exploit social media platforms to occasionally put on “displays of power” with the ultimate goal of attracting and recruiting marginalized youth, the report said.