CANADIAN MOUNTIES SWOOP ON POWERFUL MAFIA FAMILY

TORONTO (Reuters) -- Police said Wednesday they arrested a ``superstar'' of
the underworld and eight other members of an alleged major crime family in
Canada, smashing the world's largest drug-smuggling and money-laundering ring.

After a two-year investigation, a force led by Royal Canadian Mounted
Police swooped early Wednesday on the powerful Sicilian Cuntrera-Caruana
family, arresting nine people and seizing an undisclosed amount of drugs,
cash and jewelry in Toronto, Montreal, Mexico, and Houston.

Police said the special prize netted in the coordinated raids, code named
``Operation Omerta,'' was the arrest of Sicilian-born Alfonso Caruana, 52,
the senior member of the alleged crime family which operates in 13
countries from Aruba to Venezuela.

``Caruana is the Wayne Gretzky of organized crime,'' said RCMP Inspector
Ben Soave, referring to Canada's professional hockey superstar.

``This will have an impact in the drug trade,'' he predicted. ``It will
slow down the drug trade and prices will go up.''

Caruana had already been convicted in absentia to a long prison sentence by
an Italian tribunal. Two other alleged members sought by police were out of
the country and thus eluded capture.

Those arrested will be charged with drug trafficking, importing and
conspiracy to import a controlled substance.

Italy and the United States have demanded that Caruana be extradited to
their countries for trial.

The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit -- comprised of members from
police corps from Montreal, Toronto, the United States, Mexico and Italy --
had been tracking the family's illicit drug for several months as part of
the investigation.

In April 1995, Canadian police were informed that Alfonso Caruana was
living in Toronto -- information subsequently confirmed by the FBI.

In June 1996, an official investigation began and in March the
international police task force became aware that the group was planning a
large shipment of cocaine with an ultimate destination of Canada.

This led to the seizure in May 16 of 200 kilograms of cocaine in Houston.

``This family had been in the business for 30 years,'' said Soave. ``They
have codes, an infrastructure... Every time we got close, they backed off.
It takes time to crack an organization like this one.''

Police explained that they got their big break when they were able to track
the drugs as they were being shipped along a network run by Alfonso
Caruana's brother Gerlando, 54.

The smugglers were so confident that they could operate safely that they
left the drugs in plain view on the back seat of a truck.

``Canadian laws are lax for criminals. Money can circulate freely across
borders,'' said Soave in response to questions about why Alfonso Caruana
had settled in Toronto.

Described by police as belonging to ``the old Mafia'' for its low level of
internal violence and emphasis on business, the Cuntrera-Caruana family had
become virtual icons of the underworld because of their apparent ability to
operate outside the reach of the law.

``These guys are in a much bigger league, say, than the Gambinos,''
explained inspector Soave, referred to a major New York crime family.
``We're talking about two families linked by blood, marriage and the Mafia
code of silence. Who's going to break that?''

In 1990, the Cuntrera-Caruana family's worth was estimated at some $500
million dollars.

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski