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Benedetto “Nitto” Santapaola, one of Italy’s most feared Mafia bosses, has died in prison at the age of 87. He led the Catania clan allied with the Corleonesi faction of Salvatore Riina.
Santapaola was considered the mastermind behind the murder of two judges: Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino.
From his office in the Palace of Justice in Palermo, Sicily, Falcone spent most of his professional life trying to overthrow the power of the Sicilian Mafia. Falcone was assassinated by the Corleonesi Mafia in the Capaci bombing, on the A29 motorway near the town of Capaci in the summer of 1992.
Italian anti-mafia magistrate Paolo Borsellino was assassinated just a few weeks later by a car bomb in Palermo, Sicily, along with five police officers.
Legit writes of Santapaola:
Santapaola’s reign of terror left a lasting mark on Italy’s fight against organised crime. His involvement in the killings of judges, journalists, and rivals highlighted the Mafia’s brutal attempts to silence opposition. As one of the most notorious figures in Mafia history, his death closed a chapter on decades of violence that shaped Italy’s battle against organised crime. Read more: https://www.legit.ng/world/1699487-italys-infamous-mafia-figure-nitto-santapaola-dies-aged-87-decades-bars.
According to BBC, he passed away in the prison medicine department of the San Paolo hospital in Milan after being transferred from Opera prison due to declining health.
Santapaola's criminal activity consisted of drug trafficking, extortion, construction corruption and illegal gambling, including sports betting, underground casinos and card clubs. These businesses were alleged to have been set up for the sole purpose of laundering money.
- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com
