Italians nab 50 in mob operations

PERUGIA, Italy, Feb. 13 (UPI) -- Italian police arrested more than 50 people Wednesday in connection with organized crime activity geared toward taking control over the southern Umbria region.

Prosecutors said the Camorra and 'Ndrangheta families teamed up to set up drug, extortion and money-laundering rings, the Italian news agency, ANSA, said Wednesday.

''We are looking at an attempt at the criminal colonization of Umbria, where the local economy has been infiltrated by elements of these crime syndicates,'' national anti-Mafia prosecutor Piero Grasso said.

Police officials said Pasquale Maria Tripodi, the former regional tourism chief, was among those arrested. Tripodi faces corruption charges dealing with a hydroelectric plant in the region.

The Camorra family handled drug deals and the 'Ndrangheta family worked to take control of businesses in the region to act as a front for their operations, the police said.