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The criminal organization most Americans know as the “mafia” can trace its roots back to the “Cosa Nostra” that formed in Sicily in the 1800s. It’s still alive and well on that Italian island, as evidenced by a clip of an illegal horse race that attracted a horde of gun-wielding onlookers and triggered a police investigation.
The secretive nature of the Italian mob makes it difficult to compile a definitive history, but the American-based mafiosos at the center of The Sopranos, Goodfellas, and The Godfather franchise are the literal and spiritual descendants of the Cosa Nostra, the name adopted by the glorified gangsters who initially specialized in protection rackets that started to pop up in western Sicily in the second half of the 19th century.
The mafia eventually expanded its reach into mainland Italy and beyond, and while it’s no longer the force it once was, authorities in the country where it was founded are still engaged in the more than a century-long battle against the various syndicates that continue to operate to this day.
That includes some groups that continue to cause problems in Sicily, like the factions involved in an illegal horse race that led to the latest round of crackdowns on illicit stables in the region.
A video of a mafia-sponsored horse race in Sicily led to a police raid where multiple animals were seized
Gambling operations are just one of the many revenue streams the mafia has at its disposal, and police in Sicily have spent over a decade attempting to combat the clandestine horse races that have become a bit of a scourge on the biggest island in the Mediterranean Sea.
The health of the steeds at the center of those competitions has become a major concern, and an animal rights activist named Enrico Rizzi attempted to call attention to the problem when he posted a video of a race that was reportedly held in Palagonia on Friday, May 9th, which featured two horses towing jockeys in a cart surrounded by people on scooters firing off pistols and AK-47s.
According to La Sicilia, the race was sponsored by low-ranking mafia members and won by a jockey representing a group based in the Trappeto Nord neighborhood in the city of Catania, which the outlet described as the “richest cocaine dealing stronghold” in the area, which is located on the eastern coast of the island.
Il Sicilia reports that video led to police launching an investigation that resulted in the discovery of multiple illegal stables in the city, and they were able to track down both of the horses in the video before they were seized and placed in the care of veterinarians who accompanied them on the raid.
They also encountered one of the jockeys in the clip while looking into the matter, although it’s not clear if he is one of the two unidentified men who were officially referred to prosecutors in connection with the case.