Mafia Boss Salvatore "Toto The Beast" Riina has died at age 87 after complications from surgery while in prison. After prison doctors were forced to put Riina in a medically-induced coma following the procedure, Riina did not recover. Known as the Italian mafia's "Boss of all Bosses," Riina advocated the killing of women and children of his opponents and established an iron grip on Cosa Nostra. Along with that, he murdered rivals and sent many opponents into exile in the United States and Latin America.
Riina was serving 26 life sentences for dozens of murders committed during the height of his reign between 1969 and 1992.
The Cosa Nostra has carried on in the 25 years since Riina was arrested, continuing in the illegal drug trade and extorting money from legitimate businesses. However, many are worried that because the "Boss of all Bosses" is now dead, the fugitives and exiles will return for vengeance.
Riina rose to power in the 70s and 80s by killing virtually all of his enemies and displaying a ruthless lack of regard for human life, particularly those who were innocent. He was arrested for murdering two of Italy's top prosecutors in 1992, Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino. Riina recently celebrated his birthday on Thursday but fell into a coma in the early hours of the morning. He was 87.
Source: aljazeera.com
