News:BBC News US & Canada 20 January 2011 Last updated at 17:55 GMT FBI charges 127 alleged mobsters in north-east US US federal agents have charged 127 suspected mobsters in multiple investigations into New York's organised crime families. The arrests were made on Thursday morning throughout New York City, New Jersey, Rhode Island and other areas in the north-east US, FBI officials said. The arrests are tied to charges of murder, extortion and narcotics. Attorney General Eric Holder said the arrests amounted to the largest mafia crackdown in the history of the FBI. "We are committed and determined to eradicating these criminals enterprises and bringing their members to justice," Mr Holder said during a news conference in Brooklyn. Mr Holder said mafia-controlled taxes, which can affect ports and small businesses, have a negative impact on the US economy. "It [the mafia] is an ongoing threat to the economic well-being of this country," he said. Officials said alleged leaders of the Gambino, Genovese, Lucchese, Bonanno, Colombo and DeCavalcante families were among those who had been arrested. Decades of offences The arrests were made as the result of information obtained through wiretaps, co-operation from informants and other central intelligence, said Janice Fedarcyk, FBI's New York division. Former mob members, who recorded thousands of hours of conversations with mafia family bosses, also assisted in the investigation, authorities said. Suspects arrested on Thursday are being charged with crimes that include arson, extortion, gambling, loan sharking and labour racketeering. Mr Holder said the charges spawned from decades of offences, including murders within rivalling crime families, a killing during a botched robbery and even a double homicide after an argument in a pub. The sweep began before dawn on Thursday with some 800 federal agents and police officers arresting a range of individuals in the US, from suspected small-time bookers to senior family leaders. One person was also arrested in Italy in connection with the investigation. Mr Holder said all five major crime families in the New York City area were targeted in the investigation, which led to the largest FBI-led mafia crackdown in US history.