Story highlights Italian Prime Minister hails arrests, says Italy "is here, all together and united, against organized crime"

Investigators say the suspects passed on notes from alleged Mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro

They met in remote spots and used coded language in an attempt to evade detection, police say

Rome (CNN) Using coded messages and meeting in isolated rural spots, a network of supporters has helped alleged Mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro -- on the lam for over two decades -- run his criminal empire.

But Italian authorities say they have struck a blow against the secret network, with the arrests in Sicily of 11 people they accuse of being Mafia members.

Among them are those with no criminal records and little to suggest a connection with organized crime, including a shepherd, the owner of a dairy farm, a truck driver and a surveyor.

According to police in the Sicilian capital of Palermo and the anti-mafia department, these suspects were part of a "men of honor" structure that since 2012 had allowed Messina Denaro to relay his orders and stay in charge.

They'd meet clandestinely in remote countryside locations to hand over the boss' letters, or "pizzini," using carefully coded language when they spoke to avoid detection, a police statement said.

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