JUDICIAL INVESTIGATIONS
The Anti-Mafia Investigations Directorate (DIA) ensures the coordination of the judicial police investigations into the crimes of Mafia-type association and related offences, through its central and peripheral structures.
In particular, the DIA repressive action is aimed at countering the Mafia-type association called Cosa Nostra and the other criminal associations from Sicily, the ‘Ndrangheta, the Camorra, the Sacra Corona Unita, foreign criminal syndicates and any other Mafia-type association whatever their name may be operating in Italy or abroad and related crimes.
In agreement with the National Anti-Mafia and Counter-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office (DNAA), and following the instructions of the Anti-Mafia Prosecutor’s Office (DDA) having jurisdiction on the territory, the DIA focuses its attention on the investigations on criminals rather than single crimes. As a rule, it does not act according to the notitia criminis, but prefers analyzing the phenomenon as a whole and the criminal association context, aiming at identifying:
- responsibilities,
- roles,
- criminal attitude,
- criminal behaviors displayed,
of any individual belonging to a Mafia group.
The enforcement action is taken against strategically selected targets, which are faced as a whole, without wasting information resources and investigation capabilities.
The DIA acts in closely connection with Police Forces offices and structures, which provide the investigation staff of the Directorate with any possible cooperation.
In this operational context, the 2nd Branch at the DIA, through the action of directing, coordinating information and operations as well as encouraging the judicial police activities carried out by its peripheral structures, ensures the conduct of the above-mentioned investigations.
In this regard, the above-mentioned Branch including its peripheral structures constitutes the Judicial Police Service available to the National Anti-Mafia Prosecutor and the Local Anti-mafia Prosecutor’s Offices.
Over thirty years of activity, the DIA peripheral structures carried out 1.135 judicial police operations, arrested 11.478 individuals, including 177 fugitives and seized property amounting to about 7.5 billion euros, according to Art. 321 of the Italian Code of Criminal Procedure (data updated to 31- August 2021).
