In what is being hailed as an historic blow to organized crime in the Northeast, more than 110 of 127 charged defendants were arrested today. The charges relate to a wide range of alleged illegal activity, including murder, murder conspiracy, loansharking, arson, narcotics trafficking, extortion, robbery, illegal gambling and labor racketeering, in some cases occurring over decades.

At a press conference this morning, Attorney General Eric Holder said, "Today's successful arrests - across multiple cities and involving multiple mafia families - send a clear message that, in our fight against organized crime, the Justice Department is targeting federal resources and working with our state and local law enforcement partners like never before. We are committed - and determined - to eradicate these criminal enterprises once and for all and to bring their members to justice.

"As part of our commitment to battling organized crime, the Justice Department's Criminal Division has announced that it is working to merge its historic Organized Crime and Racketeering Section with its Gang Unit - a move that will bring together an elite group of prosecutors with extensive knowledge and experience in combating criminal enterprises."

Read the entire Justice Department press release.