Sicily: Mafia members who exploit children arrested

Italian police on Monday arrested 20 Mafia members in the Sicilian town of Catania, with the gang members reportedly having used children for drug trafficking operations.

What do we know so far?

The arrests were carried out by members of the Carabinieri law enforcement agency. 

The criminals reportedly forced children as young as 10 to take money from drug buyers, according to the Italian ANSA news agency. 

Several prominent members of Sicily's Cosa Nostra were among those arrested in the operation. Several women tied to the Mafia were also taken in by authorities. 

Video surveillance showed vast quantities of drugs such as crack and marijuana moving through the San Cocimo district of Cantania, Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported. Videos showed children taking money from drug buyers and pointing at where the illicit substances are hidden in the ground.

The San Cocimo neighborhood is a major base of operations for Maurizio Zuccaro, a leader of the Cosa Nostra. 

What else did officers discover?

The Carabinieri confiscated account books which recorded the amount of drugs flowing through the area. The law enforcement operation also brought in evidence of two counts of extortion involving a local pharmacy and car dealership.

Catania is the home city of Benedetto Santapaola, a prominent mafioso who has been in prison since 1993. 

In May, Italian police arrested 40 people tied to the Cosa Nostra in Catania over alleged drug trafficking and extortion.

Cosa Nostra has been engaged in criminal operations in Sicily since the 19th century.