M3STRACTS ;iancarlo Caselli, "Informers as a Veapon Against Cosa Nostra," Contro tgainst-Drugs Trafficking, Smuggling, ~ecret Arms Dealing, Money [elaundering, Gambling-Dens, Illegal USING mmigration. AGI Italian Giornalist INFORMANTS tgency, United Nations World Mingterial Conference on Organized :ransnational Crime, Naples, November 1-23, 1994. Caselli, the chief prosecutor of Palermo, indicates that an effective anti-mafia strategy consists of collaboration with pentiti (mafia members who have turned state's evidence), and the imposition of mandatory prison sentences with severe terms. The importance ofpentiti is revealed by the fact that before the collaboration of mafia informants, no police or judicial investigation, no matter how thorough, was able to disclose the nature, structure, and composition of the organization. The collaborators have been crucial to prosecutions in both the United States and Italy. Caselli anticipates that OC figures may still have influence, even after incarceration. With informers in custody, it is imperative that an illegal power structure does not develop within the prisons that might imperil the outside community. Prison discipline needs to be strict enough to block communication between mafia members and outsiders. This is especially important when the heads of organized crime structures are institutionalized.
mission, uses his extensive knowledge of organized crime to show the value of testimony from pentiti. This book illustrates the successes of the new investigative techniques used by Italian law enforcement in the 1980s, which provided authorities with an in-depth view of the mafia's organizational structure, activities, and composition. Using telephone intercepts, surveillance, and the testimony of informants, the government was able to penetrate the Cosa Nostra for the first time and arrest Antonino Calderone, the boss of the Catania family in Sicily, and a major figure in La Cosa Nostra. The mafia retaliated against these new measures by killing experienced investigators, police personnel, and judges. Calderone explains how the anti-mafia strategies led to his capture and his decision to turn state's witness. The existence of a witness protection program is shown to be crucial to cooperation with the state.
Giovanni Marieila, "II ruolo di collaboratori di giustizia dell'activita di contrasto alia criminalita organizzata di stampo mafioso condotta dalla Guardia di Finanza," (The Role of the Collaborator with Justice in the Financial Police's Activities in Combating Organized Crime.) Criminologia e Psicopatologia Forense [Italy] Volume X, Numbers 1-3, (1994): 93-97.
Pino Arlacchi, presently the vice-chair of the Italian Parliament's Anti-mafia Corn-
Giovanni Mariella points out the importance of collaborators, who provide information on the business dealings of organized crime. Because organized criminals increasingly operate as businessmen simultaneously in both the legitimate and illegal sectors, it is often necessary to have collaborators to uncover the complexities of their business activities. For example, the anti-mafia commission of Austria found that there were 49 million bank accounts in a country of 7 million inhabitants. With such significant movements of capital, it is imperative to have collaborators within the
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Pino Arlacchi, Men of Dishonor: Inside the Sicilian Mafia, An Account of Antonino Calderone.Translated by Marc Romano. New York: William Morrow, 1993.
system who can point out transactions that might be suspicious. In addition, the Financial Police have identified certain economic indicators that are useful in detecting possible criminal activity. These include: 1) revenues in relation to production; 2) initial and current capital; 3) participation in investment companies; and 4) financial flows, including a comparison of investments with income. Collaborating with the Financial Police is dangerous and can include threats to individuals and their family members, so adequate protection for informants and their families is needed. Fernando Brito Ruiz, "The Drug Cartels and 'Narcoterrorism' in Colombia," Modernizzazione e Sviluppo [Italy] Volume 5, Numbers 1-2 (JanuaryAugust 1994): 21-31.
SUCCESSUSINGINFOaMAN~
Fernando Brito Ruiz, director of the Colombian Department of Security, reports that the links between the drug traffickers and guerrillas have facilitated the diversification of cultivation, harvesting, transport, and the refinement processes. Nevertheless, the author asserts that anti-narcotics activities have been successful, thanks to collaboration between the Security Administration and the anti-mafia police. With such collaboration, it has been possible to understand their modus operandi and the structure of the cartels. The study, based on material from the Financial Analysis Group of the Department of Security Administration, provides an analysis of new directions in the drug trade, cartel structures, and money laundering operations. Accessible charts make complicated data understandable to law enforcement personnel and academic specialists.
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