Corruption Crackdown Intensifies in Tunisia, and the People Cheerbr By CARLOTTA GALLJUNE 25, 2017br TUNIS — The Tunisian prime minister has embarked on a sweeping crackdown against organized crime, arresting nearly a dozen mafia bossesbr and smuggling barons in recent weeks in an effort to stamp out what has become a nearly existential threat to the young democracy.br Sihem Bensedrine said that I think they seized this opportunity to do what they had not dared,br Over the last several years it has infected large portions of the public sector in what has become known as the "democratizationbr of corruption," as crime bosses have paid for influence in the media, political parties and the police and judiciary.br " Mr. Chahed said, promising more arrests ahead. that We are persuaded there is a link betweenbr smuggling, terrorism financing, cross-border activities and also capital flight,br United States Embassy worked that It is a war, not a one-off battle,br The campaign, led by Prime Minister Youssef Chahed, is proving popular among Tunisians frustrated atbr increasingly brazen corruption, a stagnating economy and an ever-widening gap between rich and poor.