Matteo Messina Denaro - The Boss of All Bosses

The Boss of All Bosses

The arrest last week of Salvatore Lo Piccolo was a triumph for Italian law enforcement: the second Capo dei Capi, or boss of bosses, of the Cosa Nostra, the Sicilian Mafia, to fall in as many years. But each leader — captured or at large — adds to the mystique of the still deadly 150-year old organization.

It continues to lord over life in Sicily, and do business with criminals across the globe. All too often, the symbiosis between Mafia legend and reality only adds to the difficulty in trying to dismantle it. Looking through the biographies of its top bosses, it is important to know the folklore, but to stay focused on the facts that matter. Here are snapshots of some of the Mafia's notorious leaders from the past two decades.

dek — Franco Lannino-Michele Naccari / EPA
Matteo Messina Denaro

FOLKLORE: This boss from the western city of Trapani, who may take over the mantle from the just captured Lo Piccolo, is considered something of a "playboy don," with a weakness for sports cars and designer watches and sunglasses.

UGLY TRUTH: Despite his fancy tastes, the 45-year-old boss understands the old rules of the mob. He allegedly took part in the Falcone killings in 1992, and Italian police believe that he will do whatever he feels is necessary in the future to increase his own power — and the very real power of the Mafia.