ROME – Italian police arrested up to 42 people on Tuesday believed to be involved in a rival organisation to the Spada mafia clan.

 The arrests have been carried out in the seaside Ostia region of Rome, taking into custody members of what is considered be to one of the most powerful criminal organisations in the area. According to sources, the organisation is an imitation of the famous Triassi clan and is historically opposed to the Spada mafia clan.

 An elderly man, once a senior member of a number of different gangs, is suspected to be head of this particular organisation. His two immediate subordinates used to be close to the Triassi clan, reports suggest.

 The Italian police have made the arrests on multiple grounds, including drug trafficking, kidnapping for purposes of extortion, and illegal possession of weapons and stolen goods. PM