Mafia's "10 Commandments" found in Godfather's lair
Nov 8, 2007, 13:06 GMT Palermo - The lair of Sicilian mafia 'boss-of-bosses' Salvatore Lo Piccolo, who was arrested this week, has yielded a mix of the sacred and profane, including a mobster's list of 10 dos and don'ts such as avoiding pubs and not looking at other mafiosi's wives. Strewn amongst pistols, Cuban cigars, bottles of US bourbon whisky and dozens of 'santini' - paper card portraits of Catholic saints - police found a type-written paper sheet bearing the 'Rights and Duties' for members of Cosa Nostra, news reports said. The haul was recovered in a villa near Palermo where police on Monday picked up Lo Piccolo, who is believed to have taken over as head of the Mafia following the 2006 arrest of the former 'capo di tutti i capi,' or boss of bosses, Bernardo Provenzano. Besides telling mafiosi of the 'absolute' importance of respecting appointments, to 'never be seen' with the cops and to 'always answer with the truth,' the 10 'Rights and Duties' also bars 'anyone who doesn't hold moral values' from joining the Mafia. Lo Piccolo who was picked up together with his son Sandro and two other wanted mafiosi, had been on the run for 25 years and is wanted for murder and drug-trafficking. Investigators believe the 65-year-old boss has been instrumental in re-establishing links between the Sicilian and US mafia, and boosting their stake in the international drugs trade. According to Italy's top anti-mafia official, Piero Grasso, Lo Piccolo's capture has 'decapitated' the Mafia's ruling commission or 'Cupola' meaning that the organization could be deprived of a vertical command structure and split up into several competing units. Experts see no obvious heir to Lo Piccolo or his jailed predecessors Provenzano and Toto Riina, but one name mentioned is that of Matteo Messina Denaro, a don whose turf extends from Trapani in western Sicily to some of Palermo's neighbourhoods. More flamboyant than other top mafiosi, the sharp-dressed, sports- car loving Messina Denaro reportedly embodies a new generation of cocky and brash mobsters, at odds with the more reserved style of their predecessors. It may have been concern from mafia old-timers that the traditions of the 'Onorata Sioceta' or Honourable Society, as the Sicilian mafia is also known, are being lost that compelled them to draw up the 10 'Rights and Duties,' some seasoned mafia watchers say. <http://news.monstersandcritics.com/europe/news/article_1372198.php/Mafias_% 26quot10_Commandments%26quot_found_in_Godfathers_lair> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
