WITH THE DEATH OF TOTO RIINA, COSA NOSTRA IN SICILY ABOUT TO CHANGE

With the death of Sicilian Boss of Bosses  Salvatore "Toto" Riina , Sicily could erupt in violence very soon.  In case your unfamiliar with Toto Riina, he was the biggest and most violent mob boss in the history of Cosa Nostra.

Riina 87, died a week or so ago from cancer,  while serving 26 life sentences for murder and other crimes.  He reign lasted a brutal 20 years before he was captured and arrested in 1993.  During his reign he was able to keep control of the mafia by executing anyone who second guessed him, or anyone who dared speak against him.  In one instance he had the son of a man(no mob relation) murdered just to ensue he wouldn't talk to law enforcement.  His son, aged 13 was strangled.

"If he didn't kill you, he'd put enough fear in you, to force you to flee the country, and those who fled have not forgotten.  The vendetta is real, and it's just a matter of time before those he chased come back to try and take over now.  Sicily will be at war," Giuseppe Bianco would tell me via phone early this morning from Italy.

He would also tell me that those chased would return and go right after the Corleonesi.  The Corleonesi are a faction within the Sicilian Cosa Nostra, which were huge into the 80s and 90's and have a super grip on narcotics trafficking into the United States, and are currently fighting inside of Canada against the Calabrase.(N'Drangheta). The Corleonesi were controlled mainly by Riina for twenty years but also controlled by Luciano Leggio, then Riina's brother- in- law Bernardo Provenzano.

The Corleonesi came into power in the 80's after effectively winning the Second Mafia war which began in 1978 and last until 1983.  They were able to take control by slowly extinguishing anyone who presented a wall in front of them, effectively killing all the old bosses in a violent take over.

"Riina had no issues killing children, women, fathers, brothers to get his point across.  The man was a psychopath," according to Bianco.   While Bianco's assertions are completely accurate it's also widely assumed to Riina killed somewhere in the nature of 400-600 people during his reign and prior.    While murder was the ends to justify the means, the amount of political power and law enforcement corruption Riina controlled allowed his faction to surge.  He also wouldn't hesitate to kill attorney's, judges or politicians to get his point across.  Pio La Torre would learn the hard way.

La Torre was the secretary of the Italian Communist Party and introduced a bill into legislation that would essentially allow the Government to confiscate mob related money.  While the bill was supported by the Government and it stalled out of fear.  For two years it languished on the desk of parliament, however La Torre was murdered not long after.   Following that the Italian Government sent Carlo Cheisa, who was a general of the Italian Carabineri to Sicily with direct orders to do anything he could to destroy the Mafia.  He also was killed shortly after.  Just ten short days later La Torre's bill would pass into legislation.

Rinna was not above "creating a terrorist atmosphere."  In 1984 he was responsible for a Christmas bombing on a train which injured 267, and killed 17.  It was a message to the Italian Government to stop investigating the mafia and to mainly stop investigating Riina. 

Riina is also responsible for the death of Giovanni Falcone, and Salvatore Lima.  Falcone was a judge and  prosecuting magistrate who spent the majority of his career trying to destroy the mafia.   It wasn't until the MAXI TRIAL where Riina was convicted (along with 360 others) that the mob sought retribution.  Granted they had attempted to kill Falcone several times but failed.  In 1992 while traveling in a motorcade on the A29  near the town of Capaci when a huge explosion killed him.  400 pounds of explosives were planted underneath the overpass between the airport in Palermo and Capaci.   The bomb was remotely detonated and immediately Falcone, his wife Francesca and three police officers were killed.   57 Days later Falcone's mentor Paolo Borsellino was killed in a similar explosion.  Those acts alone would end up forcing the Government to put fear aside and to war against the mafia.  Eventually Riina would be caught, stand trial, but would still control the mafia from prison until his death a week ago.

What makes the death of Riina somewhat circumspect is the idea that now with Riina gone, and effectively not in control of the mafia, other subgroups recognizing that the powerbase will now have a vacuum effect, those very smaller subgroups of Puglia, and Rome may very likely join forces with those forced out of Sicily and returning for retribution and try and take over.  While the Corleonesi is still the supreme power in Sicily, the faction could splinter over infighting and racket control.  The main argument will be over narcotics distribution which is the main flow of commerce for the group.  They have long controlled the flow of opiates from the Afghanistan into Corsica, then through Canada into the United States.  It's a multi- billion dollar racket that likely won't slow anytime soon.  With other groups like the Sinola Cartel, MS-13 and N'Drangheta filling in, it will likely be harder for traffickers to import into the United States, especially when you consider that the Mexican Mafia and the Sinaloa cartel is in fact no longer importing, but effectively manufacturing. 

What happens from here, is really, a  huge guess but Italian authorities are acting steadfast in preparing for the eventuality of a war over rackets, leadership and turf.  As Bianco put it best, "It's not a matter of how, it's a matter of when.  Everyone can get along for long periods, but when there is a power base shaken by prison or prosecution or death, all bets are off.  Riina in many ways was the most evil of men, but perhaps the bigger evil awaits Italy.  Vendettas age, but never truly end."