Sanditon Mafia

The Sanditon Mafia is a well-organized, semi-legitimate business that operates in and around Sanditon. It is one of the wealthiest organizations in that town and has several important and powerful connections.

History
The Sanditon Mafia was founded by Don Luciano Sforzando in 1920, at the start of Prohibition. Its initial operations involved manufacturing and selling bootleg liquor. This proved to be a highly profitable enterprise, and Don Sforzando quickly accumulated a vast and wealthy criminal empire. Don Sforzando's mafia was known for buying out the competition, and when that was not possible, eliminating it altogether. When Prohibition was repealed in 1933, the Sanditon Mafia found its niche selling fine Italian wines, imported using connections in mainland Italy and Sicily. The Sanditon Mafia also expanded to carrying all sorts of goods in the black market. Items that were difficult or even illegal to obtain could be found for sale in the Sanditon Mafia's black market. Don Sforzando shrewdly paid off the Sanditon Police, so the Sanditon Mafia was able to operate uninterrupted for many years. At the end of World War II, the Sanditon Mafia founded a casino. This casino became one of the most popular tourist attractions in Sanditon, and the Sanditon Mafia profited greatly from this enterprise.

Activities
The Sanditon Mafia does not deal with prostitution or illegal drugs. In the modern day, the Sanditon Mafia's business revolves primarily around its casino operations, fine wine sales, and security services. The Sanditon Mafia includes a small, professionally-trained army armed with military-grade equipment; for this reason, the mafia's security is always in high demand. The Sanditon Mafia's arsenal swelled in the 1990's due to the fall of the Soviet Union, and it used its connections with the Bratva to import a variety of surplus Soviet military hardware, ranging from small arms to automatic rifles to armored personnel carriers. The Sanditon Mafia's black market is no longer as prevalent as it used to be, although residents who need to buy or sell items that cannot be found in other marketplaces can almost always arrange a deal with the Sanditon Mafia. The Sanditon Mafia also provides loans and a pawnshop service.

In 2013, the Sanditon Mafia purchased Pane e Vino, a fine Italian dining establishment, from its retiring owners. Pane e Vino has since then grown its reputation as a respectable restaurant. This acquisition has greatly boosted the Sanditon Mafia's revenue, allowing greater funding of its operations.

The Sanditon Mafia is also involved in politics and government. Conspiracy theorists have posited the notion that current mayor Tom Parker is a puppet of the mafia, citing his lack of connection with what the citizens really want for the town.