Sicilian Mafia's 'Boss of Bosses' Gets Pinched

On the lam since 1983, 'the Baron' goes quietly during Palermo summit

By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff

Posted Nov 5, 2007 11:30 AM CST

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Sicilian Mafia's 'Boss of Bosses' Gets Pinched — This photo provided by the Italian Police shows Salvatore Lo Piccolo shortly after his arrest, at Palermo's central police station, in Sicily, southern Italy, Monday, Nov. 5, 2007. Police raided a suspected Mafia hideout in Sicily on Monday, arresting the man authorities believe was poised to become... (Associated Press)

Italian police today nabbed the alleged head of the Sicilian underworld, his son—who kept repeating "I love you, Dad"—and two other mob bosses, Reuters reports. The arrests, which marked the second time in less than 2 years that the Cosa Nostra's top dog has been busted, "severed an important drug link between America and Palermo," that city's mayor told Bloomberg.

“No organization can survive for long when it is continuously deprived of its leadership,” said the interior minister. Police say Salvatore “The Baron” Lo Piccolo won the struggle for supremacy after the arrest last year of the previous “boss of bosses” and has since been involved in a deadly feud with a rival. More murders are now likely as the struggle for supremacy reignites. (More Mafia stories.)

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