The note that brought Italy's most wanted mafia boss to the net

Police arrested boss Matteo Messina Denaro in Palermo city in January 2023 (Photo: Reuters).

Reuters reported that Italian police arrested Rosalia Messina Denaro, 67 years old, cousin of mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro, on March 10 local time.

The woman was arrested on charges of keeping books, papers and transmitting messages to Matteo’s cousin, the boss of the notorious Cosa Nostra mafia, while he was on the run. Police also revealed that pieces of paper seized from Rosalia’s home during the investigation had exposed Matteo’s identity.

Accordingly, during a secret raid on the boss's cousin's house in late December 2022 to install a tracking device, the police discovered several pieces of paper that mentioned the medical expenses of a man with diabetes. Following this clue, Italian authorities arrested boss Matteo Messina Denaro in January this year after nearly 30 years on the run.

Before his arrest, Matteo Denaro was known as the head of Cosa Nostra, a group of various gangs on the Scilly Peninsula in southern Italy. The organization was notorious for its criminal activities in the form of loan sharking, prostitution, drug and contraband trafficking, robbery, kidnapping, extortion and murder. The "octopus tentacles" of Cosa Nostra also extended to many different countries around the world , especially the United States.

Police stand guard in front of the building believed to have been the hideout of drug lord Matteo Denaro for nearly 30 years (Photo: Reuters).

Boss Matteo Denaro was born in 1962 into a family with a mafia tradition. Therefore, from a young age, Matteo learned how to use guns and many other weapons. Many sources confirm that Matteo committed his first murder when he was only 18 years old.

Matteo Denaro was on the list of Italy's most wanted criminals in 1993 after the bombings of prosecutors Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino. However, this boss escaped the authorities for nearly 30 years, thereby earning the media the nickname "super-escape godfather".

Not only did he thwart police efforts to track him down, Matteo Denaro also rose quickly in the ranks of the Cosa Nostra. He became the leader of the notorious mafia gang after the arrests of godfathers Bernardo Provenzano and Salvatore Lo Piccolo in 2006 and 2007, respectively.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/mau-giay-truyen-tin-khien-trum-mafia-bi-truy-na-gat-gao-nhat-italy-sa-luoi-20230313085213014.htm