Dozens held in Mafia swoop

Dozens of alleged members of the US Gambino Mafia family have been arrested and charged with murders, drug running, robberies, extortion, and other crimes dating back to the 1970s.

Some 62 people were being sought or were in custody in connection with charges outlined in a federal indictment released by the US attorney’s office in Brooklyn.

Among them were the reputed acting boss of the Gambino family, John “Jackie Nose” D’Amico.

The sprawling indictment covers gangland killings that date back to the days when the crime family was run by Paul Castellano, before his assassination in 1985.

The most recent alleged crimes date back only a few years, and include charges related to credit fraud conspiracies and theft of union benefits.

Arrests were underway in New York City and its northern suburbs, New Jersey and Long Island and in Italy, where officials said the raids were aimed at alleged members of Mafia clans who control drug trafficking between the two sides of the Atlantic.

The operation, code-named “Old Bridge,” was centred on Palermo and New York, and targeted Mafia figures who have been strengthening contacts between mob groups in Italy and the United States.