An Italian mafia boss, who executed a daring escape from a maximum-security prison last year using bedsheets, has been apprehended in France. Confirming his recapture, authorities from both France and Italy revealed the arrest of Marco Raduano.
According to a source cited by news agency AFP, Marco Raduano was arrested on Thursday evening while dining at a restaurant with a young woman. Authorities regard him as one of the most violent and notorious of the mafia bosses.
Videos of his sensational escape from a high-security prison in Nuoro, Sardinia, went viral, depicting him using knotted bedsheets to descend and then drop to the ground before swiftly fleeing. The entire incident was captured by surveillance cameras.
Europol had identified Marco Raduano, described as “dangerous,” on its list of Europe’s most-wanted criminals. The 40-year-old led the rural Gargano clan in Foggia, Puglia, in southern Italy, known as the ‘Fourth Mafia.’
Having served a 24-year sentence for involvement in a criminal organization, illegal weapon possession, drug trafficking, and other offenses, Marco Raduano was arrested on February 1 in Corsica, France.
Italian authorities also announced the arrest of Marco Raduano’s close aide and right-hand man, Gianluigi Troiano, near Granada in southern Spain. Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi stated, “The carabinieri’s capture abroad of two dangerous fugitives, Marco Raduano, and his right-hand man, Gianluigi Troiano, represents another major blow to organised crime.”
Recently, Italy and the USA took down several members of the Gambino mafia family.
