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Sicilian Mafia Boss Dies in Prison at Age 87/ Benedetto Santapaola's Role in Cosa Nostra

2026-03-03 07:41:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Sicilian Mafia Boss Dies in Prison at Age 87/ Benedetto Santapaola's Role

Benedetto "Nitto" Santapaola, the Sicilian mafia boss who was in prison for more than three decades, has died at the age of 87.

Santapaola, who was arrested in 1993 and was serving a life sentence for murder and numerous crimes, died in a high-security prison in Milan.

Santapaola, known as "il cacciatore" (the hunter) or "il licantropo" (the werewolf), led the mafia in the eastern Sicilian city of Catania from the late 1970s to the early 1990s.

He was tried and convicted as one of the instigators of the 1992 murders of Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, two of Italy's most famous anti-mafia prosecutors.

Santapaola's role within Cosa Nostra

Benedetto Santapaola was the head of the Catania mafia family, one of the most powerful branches outside Palermo.

He was an ally of the faction led by Totò Riina, the fierce leader of the Corleonesi clan. Santapaola was part of the violent strategy against the Italian state in the early 1990s.

He was considered a key figure in the expansion of Cosa Nostra's influence in eastern Sicily and in its links to international drug trafficking.

Conflict with the Italian state

Cosa Nostra, including Santapaola, faced a strong offensive from Italian justice:

-The large-scale “Maxi Trial” trial in the late 1980s.

-Mass arrests of mafia bosses.

-The harsh prison regime 41-bis.

Santapaola was arrested in 1993 and sentenced to life imprisonment, marking a significant blow to the structures of Cosa Nostra./ CNA





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