Your Sicily example and the article remind me of other "syndicates" operating in the wake of disaster and conflict. I'd read somewhere that the Yakuza have been tolerated for so long in Japan because of the social services and "protection" / "law enforcement" they provided in the aftermath of World War II. In Beirut, Hezbollah provides social services and protection that the State can't (or won't) particularly to the marginalized Palestinian refugee population.
Likewise, I'm not defending the tactics, but there's an interesting thread here.
Likewise, I'm not defending the tactics, but there's an interesting thread here.