Palermo, 22 Feb. (AKI) - Italian mobsters in the Sicilian city of Palermo were arrested on Wednesday for extorting pastries from a local bakery and making its owners buy weekly blocks of tickets for an underground lottery.

Five members of an organised crime family were arrested for forcing the pastry shop to buy 90 euros worth of tickets every week since 2007, in addition to providing mafia bosses with baked goods, according to police.

In addition, the victims were also required to make Christmas and Easter "contributions" to families with loved ones in prison.

Investigators believe the lottery-ticket racket was a scheme to hide extortion payments. The operation was worth 9,000 euros a week, according to investigators.