US federal agents have arrested more than 100 suspected mobsters in multiple investigations into New York's organised crime families.
The majority of the arrests were made on Thursday morning throughout New York City, New Jersey and other areas in the north-eastern US, FBI officials said.
The arrests are tied to charges of murder, extortion and narcotics.
Attorney General Eric Holder is expected to discuss details of the case at a news conference later on Thursday.
"Early this morning, FBI agents along with our law enforcement partners began arresting over 100 organised crime members for various criminal charges," FBI investigator Diego Rodriguez told a local NBC News affiliate in New York City.
Officials said alleged leaders of the Gambino, Genovese, Lucchese, Bonanno, Colombo and DeCavalcante families were among those who had been arrested.
"It was very broad scope," New York FBI spokesman Robert Nardoza told the AFP news agency.
Early morning arrestsSome of the arrests were made as the result of information obtained through federal probes and informants, local media reported.
The sweep began before dawn on Thursday with federal agents arresting a range of individuals being investigated, from suspected small-time bookers to senior leaders, the New York Times newspaper said.
The arrests are reportedly part of one of the largest mafia crackdowns conducted by federal authorities in the US.
Mafia families in the US have seen a sharp decline in fortunes in the the past 10 years as the result of court testimony from informants, who have begun breaking their code of silence in recent years.
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