Cosa Nostra - Italian Mafia

In the western world there is no other crime organization that is so infamous and feared as the Italian Mafia - the Cosa Nostra. It started in Sicily as a loose association of criminal groups sharing a common structure and code of conduct. The groups are known as clans or family, the cosca, the famiglia. This clan claims a town or village as its territory wherein they can operate their illegal activities. It was during the early part of the 19th century when the wave of Italian emigration to the US, Canada and Australia begun that the seeds of the Mafia structure slowly took its root in these countries outside of Italy or Sicily. The members of the Mafia call themeselves "men of honor" or "men of respect."

The clan basically has the boss: the head of the group, the underboss: second in command to the boss, the advisers, the caporegime, the soldiers and the associates. The associates include corrupt officials and prospective mafiosi. Being member of the clan is not hereditary and the commission forbids relatives from holding positions within the clan at the same time. A mafioso should be obedient, discrete and ruthless and most are required to commit murder to test one's loyalty to the clan. One of the most deadly rule that the group adhere to is Omerta - the code of silence. This code of silence is for a member to keep silent and not betray his clan or its members to authorities. Penalty to this code is death and even the relatives of the snitch will also be murdered, this also applies to the public who aids authorities in naming Mafia clan members.

The activities of the group range from drug trafficking, arm trafficking, loan shark business, protection racket, control of private and public contract, theft and kidnapping. There is much more to write about this mob but it will take us forever. This is one organized crime group that is forever fascinating to know and learn.