In 1992, DIA was established and started its first investigations. In particular, special mention should be made of the operation that led to identify the alleged perpetrators of the murders of Salvo Lima, a member of the Parliament, as well as the authors of the homicide of Ligato, the former President of the Italian Railways.

In 1993, investigators identified the subjects responsible for the Capaci bombing, where the judges Falcone and Morvillo and their bodyguards, the police officers Montinaro, Di Cillo and Schifani, lost their lives. The use of advanced high technologies allowed investigators to listen to live conversations of two prominent mafia members in their hideout, and gather valuable information on their criminal plans and the internal structure of the Sicilian cosa nostra. Moreover, the alleged killers of Libero GRASSI, a businessman from Palermo, were indicted as well. Complex investigations made it possible to outline the network of criminal organisations of Calabrian origin, that, in cooperation with the Sicilian mafia clans, played a leading role in the Lombardy criminal scenario.

In 1994, DIA continued to channel its efforts to dismantle dangerous mafia syndicates. It is worth mentioning the operation, carried out until 1996, aimed at proving that prominent members of "cosa nostra" had committed the bombing attacks against important historical and religious monuments in Rome in 1993. Furthermore, DIA shed light on 37 murders committed in Sicily between 1982 and 1991, during the last mafia war, won by the Corleone family.A remarkable result was achieved with the preventive seizure of assets, amounting to 40 billion lire approximately, and connected with a 'ndrangheta group. In the framework of a wider institutional activity, the DIA brought to justice some well known and dangerous fugitives such as Giuseppe Autorino, right hand man of the camorra boss Carmine Alfieri, as well as Luigi Moccia, head of the clan operating in Afragola (NA) and Vincenzo Aiello, successor of the Catania boss Nitto Santapaola.

In 1995, several dangerous fugitives included in the "most wanted criminals" list of the Ministry of the Interior, were arrested. Special mention should be made of the arrest in Palermo of the well-known boss Leoluca Bagarella, who had been fugitive since 1991, and considered as one of the undisputed leaders of cosa nostra following Salvatore Riina's arrest.

The following investigations made it possible to identify and dismantle the "fire group", i.e. the armed group of cosa nostra entrusted with the double task of keeping the peace among the families and implementing the attack strategy against the state, and gather further crucial elements on the spring and summer bombing attacks committed in Rome in 1993 (via Fauro, S. Giovanni in Laterano and S. Giorgio in Velabro), in Florence (via dei Georgofili, near the Uffizi Gallery) and in Milan (via Palestro). Through a complex investigative activity, DIA managed to reconstruct the 'ndrangheta history over the last twenty years, to hit 17 important groups operating in the Reggio Calabria area, and solve more than 200 murder cases. This operation resulted in the enforcement of 365 arrest warrants and the seizure of assets amounting to 248 billion lire (53 of which already confiscated). Furthermore, the criminal organizations operating in the Caserta area were strongly hit, in that 250 members and accomplices of the "Casalesi" group were indicted and assets amounting to 2,500 billion lire approximately were seized. 

In 1996, because of the efforts made to counter money laundering of illicit proceeds and their reinvestment into legitimate businesses, the number of seizures involving mafia assets increased. In particular, it is worth mentioning the seizure of two 'ndrangheta groups' assets amounting to 90 billion lire.

The developments of the fight against the Sicilian organized crime allowed the DIA investigators to identify two hideouts of the Corleone group at San Giuseppe Jato and Malatacca (Palermo) respectively, and to find a huge quantity of weapons and highly offensive explosives of great strategic interest (grenades, detonators and remote controls, various firearms, bazookas and missile launchers). Furthermore, Stano Benedetto, a prominent figure of the Apulian SCU, was located and arrested.

In 1997, Mario Fabbrocino, a famous camorra member, was arrested in Buenos Aires. He had been fugitive for ten years and his name appeared in the "most wanted criminals" list drawn up by the Ministry of the Interior. Other operations resulted in the arrest of leading figures such as Costantino Sarno, the alleged head of the criminal organization having the same name and operating in the Naples area, who had been fugitive for five years; Giuseppe Buffa, a prominent member of the Palermo-based San Lorenzo mafia family, fugitive from justice for four years and Natale Rosmini fugitive from justice for seven years, boss of the Rosmini family, operating in Reggio Calabria.

As to the initiatives targeting the mafia groups' assets and the fight against money laundering, it is worth mentioning the operations that led to the preventive seizure of the Etna area mafia groups' assets amounting to 50 billion lire, the seizure of the camorra "Casalesi" group's property amounting to 500 billion lire as well as the preventive seizure of 'ndrangheta clans' assets amounting to 37 billion lire. Furthermore, DIA shed light on the new organizational structure of cosa nostra and the roles played by some cooperating witnesses within it. In this connection, investigations established that in order to regain the control over the territory, some cooperating witnesses had associated and started bloody actions against the members of their rival mafia family; hence, 16 arrest warrants were issued and three of them concerned cooperating witnesses.
 

In 1998, DIA accomplished several police operations that concerned Italy and several European and American countries. As to Campania, in particular, DIA investigators arrested Francesco SCHIAVONE, alias SANDOKAN, considered the camorra "number one" fugitive; from his hideout equipped with high tech tools, he directed the criminal activities of the "Casalesi" clan.

As to the fight against the 'ndrangheta, in 1998, following a five-year investigation and the issue of over 400 arrest warrants by the judicial authorities, the DIA concluded a complex operation called "Olimpia". At the same time, the Apulia-based DIA field offices dismantled several dangerous SCU groups involved in smuggling. Investigations revealed that the Apulian mafia groups maintain very dangerous connections with criminal organizations from the Eastern European countries, especially from Russia, Montenegro and Albania; the latter are considered very dreadful because of their arsenals of highly-powered weapons and their contacts with all the main Italian criminal organizations.

In its fight against the Sicilian cosa nostra, the DIA accomplished several operations aimed at countering new and different mafia groups, operating as entrepreneurs, in areas particularly exposed to the mafia risk, such as San Giuseppe Jato, Altofonte and Bagheria in the province of Palermo. In 1998, the DIA arrested 15 fugitives belonging to organized crime groups, enforced 760 arrest warrants and seized assets for a very considerable value. As to preventive investigations, DIA continued to make significant efforts; in particular, there was an increase in personal and asset-related preventive measures; assets amounting to 67 billion lire were seized while confiscated assets amounted to 281 billion lire.

In 1999, the D.I.A. continued its countering activity against organized crime which led to the detection and arrest of the fugitive Giuseppe Autorino (who was killed in the subsequent shooting), as well as the arrest of D'Apice Vincenzo, included in the list of the 500 most dangerous fugitives; both of them affiliates to camorra organization.

Among judicial investigations, it is noteworthy the dismantling action against Molè-Piromalli-Pesce-Bellocco and Barreca families, both in the province of Reggio Calabria, specially involved in money-laundering and winning public tenders, and even the dismantlement of Sacra Corona Unita groups involved in cigarettes smuggling carried out through Albania and Montenegro routes.

As to the fight against money-laundering, the investigations resulted in the interrumption of illegal huge money flows managed by “cosa nostra” and “camorra” operating within shell companies, at national as well as international level.

With reference to preventive investigations, it has to be highlighted the analysis of foreign mafias (specially the Albanian mafia and the former U.S.S.R. mafia); the Albanian mafia, in detail, was carefully monitored on the site of origin through "Monitoring Authority on organized crime in Albania".
Moreover, 65 preventive measures proposals were ordered, and 1.306 suspicious operations were examined, of these, over 100 were furtherly investigated. Furthermore, 8 companies were monitored and within them 186 businesses were examined, as well as 1.885 subjects were checked, to counter infiltration attempts by organized crime in public tenders.

In 2000, the D.I.A. conducted relevant operations resulted in the arrest of 418 individuals and 21 fugitives. Within the fight to “cosa nostra”, in detail, it has to be pointed out the arrest of the fugitive Salvatore Genovese, included in the list of the 30 most dangerous and wanted individuals; he was very close to Brusca and Di Maggio families.

The successful fight against “camorra” and “’ndrangheta” resulted in the arrest of some Calabrian dangerous fugitives included in the list of 500 subjects wanted all over the national territory. Several operations conducted against Apulian crime showed its links with Albanian mafia and criminal groups operating in the Balkan region; moreover, in Switzerland a well-known entrepreneur deemed a main element in cigarettes smuggling and the connected money-laundering activity was arrested..

As regards preventive activity, strategical, shifty infiltration in the economic and financial sector of the society by the so called “entrepreneurial mafia” was deeply analyzed; careful attention was really paid to major public tenders, to detect any possibile infiltration attempt, and money-laundering sector, to identify connections between financial sector and organized crime.

Finally, at international level, cooperation structures established by D.I.A. through bilateral and multilateral cooperation projects with its foreign counterparts allowed to identify connections among the main criminal organizations as well as to develop countering activity against transnational crime, including money-laundering of illicit proceeds.

In 2001, the D.I.A., according to its preventive task, continued to carry on the intelligence activity aimed at analyzing foreign and national organized crime phenomena, both at national and international level. In this context, some surveys were drawn up to identify the development of main criminal actions, such as settlement of Albanian and Russian mafia in Italy, or the economic-financial activities of mafia organizations over the national territory.

Special consideration given to huge amount of money connected to mafia-type associations allowed the seizure of personal properties and real estates and confiscation of valuable assets. Money-laundering counteraction allowed the exam of 4218 souspicious operation reports - 146 of them were linked to money-laundering, and illicit money or assets investments crimes, hence they received more in-depth investigation.

The high level skill the D.I.A. gained in this field as well as undoubtful results obtained, led the legislator to designate a D.I.A. representative within Financial Security Committee, set up by Law Decree nr. 369 dated October 12, 2001 in compliance with international commitments by Italy within the strategical counteraction against financing international terrorism.

The continuous investigative activity aimed at dismantling those mafia criminal organizations mainly involved in illicit winning of public tenders as well as profits coming from exploitation of illigal immigrants. Furthermore, comprehensive investigations resulted in the arrest of the fugitive Nuvoletta Angelo, unquestioned head of the Nuvoletta camorra family always affiliated to “cosa nostra”.

In 2002, in compliance with the directives of the Minister of the Interior and the Chief of Police, aiming at enhancing the legality standards of the public works sector, the DIA focused its attention particularly on the monitoring of possible infiltrations of organized crime in the public tenders area, also by developing an extensive and complex information exchange and liaison with the institutions involved. Therefore, operational contacts and agreements were established with the Authority for the Control of Public Works and with the A.N.A.S.(National Road Network Administration). In this context, 220 companies were monitored and checks were conducted on 618 individuals.

As regards preventive activities, aiming at attacking illegally acquired capital, according to Law nr.575/65, assets approximately amounting to 229 million euros were seized and assets amounting to over 16 million euros were confiscated. Moreover, 83 proposals for personal and asset-related prevention measures were submitted.

In the field of preventive investigations, moreover, 2,560 suspicious transactions reports, sent by the Ufficio Italiano Cambi (the Italian FIU), were processed, according to Article 3 of Law nr. 197/91 and subsequent modifications and integrations. On 384 of these suspicious transactions reports further and specific investigations were conducted.

Particular attention was focused, in compliance with the objectives of the Financial Security Committee, created by Law nr. 431/2001, on the monitoring of financial flows that may allegedly be the proceeds of the interest or illicit reinvestment not only of criminal groups, but may also represent the financing of Islamic terrorist groups.

As regards counteraction, 64 criminal investigations were conducted and closed, resulting in the arrest of 483 mafia members, 4 fugitives from justice and in the seizure of assets for an amount of approximately 73 million euros, of which 7,750,000 were seized according to article 253 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

In 2003, DIA further enhanced the action aiming at preventing and fighting against mafia infiltrations in the sector of the public tender for the so-called “Major Public Works”, in compliance with D.I. March 14, 2003, that entrusted the DIA, as specifically regards the above-mentioned public tenders, with a central role in the new system involving on-site inspections as well as an information support action and liaison conducted by DIA.

For this purpose, a “Public Tenders Central Monitoring Authority” was activated; this authority, that avails itself of the computer system created by our Service, will provide an effective support to the central agencies for the analysis of incoming data and, at the same time, to the peripheral agencies, in order to target their activities.

In this operational context, in cooperation with the field offices of the Police Forces, a complex series of accesseswas conducted, ordered by the competent Prefetti, at specific construction sites, involved in the achievement of specific “Major Public Works” (the modernization of the A3 Salerno-Reggio Calabria highway, the Messina-Palermo highway, the Turin-Milan high-speed railway network). More generally speaking, the prevention activity against the companies involved in the achievement of public contracts resulted in 32 monitoring activities, with checks conducted on 438 companies and businesses at risk of mafia infiltration, as well as checks conducted on 838 individuals.

As regards the fight against the economic and financial interests of the mafia families, as well as the attack against their assets, DIA effort led to the seizure of assets belonging to organized crime figures for a total amount of over 135 million euros; moreover, assets amounitng to approximately 33 million euros were confiscated. Moreover, 155 proposals for asset-related preventive measures were submitted. The DIA, moreover, analyzed 8,553 reports concerning “suspicious transactions” as regards money laundering, provided by the Ufficio Italiano Cambi (the Italian FIU) according to D.L. nr.143/1991.

In 2003 still, as regards criminal investigations, DIA conducted and closed 74 criminal investigations, by conducting 370 arrest warrants, by arresting 9 fugitives from justice and by seizing assets, according to Article 321 of the Criminal Procedure Code, for an amount of over 79 million euros.

In 2004, the DIA further conducted its fight against criminal organizations, at a preventive level as well as at a counteraction level, aiming its efforts, in particular, against the attempts by mafia to infiltrate the public tenders sector and aiming at attacking illegally acquired assets.

In this last field, the DIA efforts led to successful results: in 2004, assets belonging to organized crime figures were seized for a total amount of approximately 490 million euros and mafia assets were confiscated for an amount of approximately 89 million euros. Moreover, 78 proposals for preventive measures were sent and 12,348 suspicious transactions reports as regards money laundering were analyzed, sent by the Ufficio Italiano Cambi (the Italian FIU) according to D.L. nr.143/1991.

Moreover, in 2004, as regards criminal investigations, DIA arrested 302 mafia members as well as 4 fugitives from justice.

As regards public tenders, DIA – playing a central role in the fight against mafia infiltrations, in compliance with D.I. 14.03.2003, – conducted the monitoring activities in its responsibility, through the prevailing effort of the Central Monitoring Authority.

In this operational context, in particular, 27 accesses in construction sites involved in the achievement of the so-called “Major Public Works” were conducted, with the subsequent check of 1367 individuals, 453 companies and 889 vehicles. At the end of 5 of the above-mentioned accesses, it was established that “unsuitable” businesses were involved in the public works.

More generally speaking, as regards initiatives aiming at guaranteeing high legality standards of the public contracts, the DIA finalized the complex awarding procedure as regards the achievent, funded by the Operational Program “Security for Southern Italy” (Programma Operativo “Sicurezza per il Mezzogiorno”), of a technological support structure for the Prefetture in the regions of Southern Italy, in order to guarantee the transparency and effectiveness of the public tenders system.

Moreover, in the framework of the CIPE capital granting for speeding up the achievement of Major Public Works, the DIA is involved in completing, by the end of 2005, of a telecommunications system between the general contracting parties, the Prefetture and the DIA itself.