History of the Mafia The origins of the secret society known as the Mafia are believed to be as old as the 9th century. During that period the island of Sicily was occupied by Arab forces. The original inhabitants were oppressed, and needed places of refuge to escape to. The word "Mafia" means "refuge" in Arabic. When the Normans invaded Sicily in the 11th century, the native tribes were once again oppressed and forced into …
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showed last 75 words of 1416 total
…organization that continues to grow in power. The Syndicate started by Luciano and his contemporaries remains firmly in control over the larger part of organized crime in the US, while other parts of the world have experienced a large increase in organized criminal activity. Most notable among these new 'syndicates' are the Colombian drug cartels that were started in the 70s, and the new crime cartels in Eastern Europe, started after the fall of Communism.