ROME, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- A woman allegedly leading one of the major mafia clans in Sicily was among 25 people arrested in a major operation on Tuesday, Italian authorities said.
The raids were carried out in Palermo, Sicily's regional capital, by some 200 officers of Italy's military Carabinieri Corp supported by dog units and helicopters.
All of those arrested were charged with mafia association, extortion, aiding and abetting, and possession of stolen goods, according to prosecutors coordinating the raid.
And they are suspected of being members of two allied mafia families, which allegedly run illegal businesses, especially a protection racket, in Palermo.
Maria Angela Di Trapani, wife of notorious boss Salvino Madonia, who is serving a life term under special hard-prison regime, was believed to be currently at the helm of the group.
She would have been in charge of reorganizing the Sicilian clan, after its ranks were severely weakened by several police operations in latest years, prosecutors of the Anti-Mafia District Directorate (DDA) in Palermo said.
The woman, who has spent eight years in prison for mafia-related crimes, is suspected of acting as a mediator between the jailed bosses, especially her husband, and the mobsters outside, Ansa news agency reported.
The Sicilian mafia (or "Cosa Nostra") has indeed lost ground to other organized crime groups, such as the Calabrian 'Ndrangheta and the Naples-based Camorra, in the last two decades, according to mafia experts. Yet, it was still described as very efficient in subjugating entrepreneurs in Sicily, and in infiltrating the local economy and public administration.
