Police seize allleged Mafia assets

PALERMO, Italy, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- Italian police went after alleged business assets of the Sicilian Mafia, seizing bank accounts, a quarry, a shopping mall and a seaside development Thursday.

The property was registered in the name of Andrea Impastato, allegedly a stand-in for imprisoned bosses Bernardo Provenzano and Salvatore Lo Piccolo, ANSA, the Italian news agency, reported.

''Confiscating property from Mafia bosses is the best way to strike at the heart of Cosa Nostra, which is why today's operation is extremely important,'' said Giuseppe Lumia, vice president of the Anti-Mafia Commission. ''It represents a huge blow to the Mafia and to the grey zone that allows them to recycle illegally gained capital.'

The seizure was code-named Operation Secret Business.

Villas and apartments in a tourist development in the seaside town of San Vito Lo Capo were included in the hall. Authorities said they also seized 40 parcels of land on the Sicilian coast.