Italy's mafia is attempting to acquire advanced military weapons, including mine-laying drones from the black market fuelled by the Russia–Ukraine war, Palermo's chief anti-mafia prosecutor Maurizio de Lucia warned.
Addressing Italy's National Anti-Mafia Commission, de Lucia said investigators had uncovered evidence that organised crime groups were trying to rebuild a sophisticated arsenal, with interest extending beyond conventional firearms, Caliber.Az reports, citing Italian media.
"We have indications of attempts to purchase mine-laying drones, weapons against which we are not prepared to defend ourselves," de Lucia said.
"There is an effort to reconstitute a high-quality arsenal, both in the Palermo district and in other territories."
He said authorities had previously seized weapons that entered Italy through the Salento region but originated in the Balkans, particularly the former Yugoslavia. However, he warned that the mafia's attention has increasingly shifted towards more sophisticated weapons circulating on the illicit market since the outbreak of the Russia–Ukraine conflict.
De Lucia also raised concerns over the continued ability of imprisoned mafia members to direct criminal operations from behind bars through the widespread use of smuggled mobile phones.
He said mafia inmates are often supplied with mobile phones within hours of entering prison, describing the problem as affecting correctional facilities across Italy. While the country's strict 41-bis prison regime remains effective for top mafia bosses, he argued that high- and medium-security prisons housing lower-ranking members have become a major vulnerability.
According to the prosecutor, authorities recovered 297 mobile phones from Palermo's Pagliarelli and Ucciardone prisons between 2025 and the first half of 2026, with hundreds more seized elsewhere in Sicily.
"If we allow mafia members to continue acting as mafiosi from prison, we undermine investigative work," de Lucia said, calling for stronger prison security and increased staffing for the prison police. He added that communication-jamming technology is not a practical solution in urban areas.
The hearing also reviewed ongoing investigations into the financial network of late Sicilian mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro. De Lucia said authorities continue to examine what he described as enormous assets linked to the former fugitive, highlighting a recent international operation involving seven countries that resulted in the seizure of €200 million in suspected mafia assets.
By Aghakazim Guliyev
