"In Sicily, women are more dangerous than shotguns," Calo said in Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather." In the case of Raffaella D'Alterio, the Corleone bodyguard almost got it right -- save for this blonde mob boss hailing from Naples.
Agence France Presse reports police arrested the Italian "godmother" along with 65 other suspects affiliated with the Pianese-D'Alterio clan in north Naples on Tuesday. And while D'Alterio, nicknamed "a miciona," or "the big female kitten" in Italian, may not fit the typical description of a mob boss, she and the other suspects stand accused of tried-and-true mafia crimes of extortion, possessing illegal arms, robbery and drug dealing.
According to The Telegraph, D'Alterio took over her clan when her husband, Nicola Pianese, was murdered six years ago. The queen bee allegedly led extortion and counterfeit money trafficking rings, and was no stranger to violence -- "a miciona" survived gunshot wounds three years into her reign when rival gangs targeted her over the cash-cow drug business that plagues Naples.
Prosecutors accuse D'Alterio of building up further ties with the Neopolitan mafia, known as the Camorra, which is notorious for violence, intimidation and profiteering in drugs, counterfeit goods, garbage disposal and construction, The Daily Mail notes. The bloody turf war in the southern port claims victims nearly every day.
Police also seized property and goods of the accused mobsters, including car dealerships, supermarkets and bank accounts, according to AFP.