In the Mouth of the Wolf

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Scattered throughout the island of Sicily, in hill towns, caves, around the ancient Greek city of Agrigento, and along the southern coast, the Mafia had hidden vast amounts of supplies, accumulated over the years, and especially during and after World War II. Munitions and weaponry had been “acquired” through raids, bribery, and pure Sicilian ingenuity.

The Mafia (also known as “La Cosa Nostra”), a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct. Each group, known as a “family” (or “clan”), claims sovereignty over a territory in which it operates its rackets, usually a town or village or a neighborhood of a larger city.

Earlier in the year after receiving a tip, La Dogana (Customs) confiscated a fishing boat off Sicily’s northern coast near Palermo. What the officials found was more than just a typical daily haul of calamari, sardines, and octopus. Discovered below deck was a cache of weapons, more specifically, Uzis and M1 Garands.

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