Italian police raided the hideout of Italy’s most wanted mafia godfather Matteo Messina Denaro early Tuesday morning, arrested on Monday in Palermo after 30 years on the run, leading a normal life surrounded by designer clothes and perfumes.
The hiding place of 60-year-old Messina Denaro, known for being a bloodthirsty godfather, was in Campobello of Mazaraa town of 10,000 inhabitants, 10 kilometers from his hometown, Castelvetrano, in the province of Trapani, where his late father was feared for leading the local mafia.
Police checked the two-story building, which was painted yellow and entered the apartment where the godfather was staying, according to images accessed by AFP.
Investigators, who found no weapons, instead found a collection of expensive perfumes and luxury clothes of various brands.
They also discovered medicines and pills to improve sexual intercourse and condoms, which confirms the gangster’s well-known passion for women. The authorities are investigating the women welcomed.
The small building has been left under permanent police surveillance, which prevents them from approaching it.
The mafia boss had lived in that place for at least six months, in a renovated apartment, “which demonstrates the good economic conditions of the fugitive. With refined, high-level, but not luxurious furniture”, the commander revealed to the provincial press of the Carabinieri of Trapani, Fabio Bottino.
“Investigations are underway, analyzing the biological traces, looking for the nooks and crannies where the documentation could be hidden. A job that will take several days,” he explained.
In front of his neighbors he presented himself as Andrea BonafedeHe had a valid ID and claimed to be a doctor.
Matteo Messina Denaro, arrested on Monday in a Palermo clinic where he was undergoing cancer treatment under a false name, was transferred aboard a military helicopter during the night to the Abruzzo regionin central Italy, in a maximum security prison.
The last godfather of Cosa Nostra, ruthless and invisible boss, led a multi-million dollar organization thanks to its ramifications in various sectors, from drug trafficking to real estate, from wind power to online gambling.
Matteo Messina Denaro follows in the footsteps of the historic godfathers of Cosa Nostra, Totò Riina and Bernardo Provenzano, who died in prison in 2017 and 2016 respectively.
Leader of the new generation that took over from the old godfathers, the “Prince of Trapani”, as he was often called, had a real passion for luxury and gold watches.
He was in fact very well dressed and wore a watch valued between 30 and €35,000said those responsible for his capture. According to the newspaper Il Messaqgero, he has a fortune of approx 4,000 million euros thanks to his illegal and legal business millionaires.
“Now let’s investigate this “mafia bourgeoisie” who has protected him all these years,” Maurizio de Lucia, Palermo’s chief prosecutor, said at a press conference on Monday.
The research is currently focused on the network that guaranteed him to remain hidden in peace for 30 years. Among them is the doctor who treated him like a cancer patient, Alfonso Tumbarello70 years old.
Many wonder if the godfather will reveal the darkest secrets of the Sicilian mafia, such as the attacks of the 90s that shook Italy and transformed the criminal organization forever.
In the list drawn up by the Ministry of the Interior of the six most wanted criminals in Italy, Matteo Messina Denaro, born in April 1962, was in first place.
Convicted in absentia in the year 2000 a life sentence For murder, in 2020 he was convicted again for the attack on the anti-mafia judge Giovanni Falcone, assassinated by order of the leaders of Cosa Nostra in 1992.
AFP extension
ap
Source: Clarin
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.