Sicily 'mafia boss' Settimo Mineo arrested by Italian police in fresh crackdown on organised crime

Settimo Mineo is thought to have been elected to top role at meeting of provincial leaders earlier this year

Settimino Mineo is escorted by Italian Carabinieri police after an anti Mafia operation (AP)

The suspected new head of the Sicilian mafia and 45 other alleged mobsters have been arrested by Italian police.

Settimo Mineo is believed to have been promoted to lead the whole crime group following a meeting of provincial mob leaders on 29 May, following the death of “boss of bosses” Salvatore “Toto” Riina in 2017​.

It is thought to be the first such gathering of mafia families for more than 25 years.

“This is a sign that Cosa Nostra doesn’t abandon its rules,” Palermo prosecutor Francesco Lo Voi told a press conference. “And that despite the convictions, despite the trials, important people can take over the most important roles once they’re back in play.”

The meeting was seen by investigators as a sign the crime organisation was looking to rebuild and the arrests will be viewed as a major victory for the authorities.

“There is no more room for this type of scum in Italy,” deputy prime minister Luigi Di Maio wrote on Instagram.

“The arrests ... Represent one of the biggest blows inflicted on the mafia by the state. Mineo had been elected ‘heir’ of Toto Riina after his death” he added.

Mineo had previously been sentenced to five years in jail for mafia-related crimes during the so-called “maxi-trials” that ran from 1986-1992.

The case was spearheaded by prosecutors Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino – who were later murdered by the mafia following the trial.

Once all-powerful on Sicily, the world’s most famous crime gang has been squeezed over the past two decades, with many put behind bars, businesses sequestered and locals increasingly ready to defy it.

“With an extraordinary operation in the Palermo province, the police have dismantled Cosa Nostra’s new cupola,” interior minister Matteo Salvini added on Twitter.

Agencies contributed to this report