Italian police yesterday announced the arrest of 79-year-old Mafia boss of Corleone – the Sicilian hilltop town made famous by The Godfather trilogy – following a three-year investigation.

Gaetano Riina is the brother of former Cosa Nostra kingpin Toto Riina, who is serving multiple life sentences for sanctioning scores of killings.

Mr Riina was picked up in the city of Mazara del Vallo where he was living while allegedly controlling the Corleone clan, the police said in a statement.

“The Riina family is still in power in Corleone,” local police chief Pietro Salsano told reporters. He said the investigation was accelerated after the killing of Corleone businessman Nicolo Romeo last year.

“Gaetano Riina had taken control of the clan including the economic means, acting as a kind of regent for the two young nephews,” Mr Salsano said.

The charges against Mr Riina and three other men arrested yesterday including his two nephews are for extortion and criminal association.

The police said the clan has continued to play a “central role” in the mafia despite multiple arrests of the crime syndicate’s historic leadership.

Prosecutor Francesco Messineo said Corleone played “a strategic role” and was “a fundamental area for Cosa Nostra both historically and geographically” because it was close to two other clan-controlled towns.