Italy’s most wanted Mafia boss arrested while undergoing cancer treatment

He was detained in Sicily and suspected of being a boss of the renowned Cosa Nostra Mafia.

Matteo Messina Denaro, a top Mafia boss in Italy, was apprehended in Sicily after 30 years on the run. 

According to reports, Messina Denaro was detained while undergoing cancer treatment in Palermo, the capital of Sicily.

He was prosecuted and given a life sentence in prison in absentia in 2002 for a number of killings; he is suspected of being a boss of the infamous Cosa Nostra Mafia.

His arrest was carried out with the assistance of more than 100 military personnel.

According to Italian media, the Carabinieri apprehended Messina Denaro soon before 10:00 (09:00 GMT) and took him to a hidden location. 

According to reports, he went to the clinic under a false identity to receive chemotherapy.

In a video that has been circulating in Italian media, Messina Denaro is seen being dragged away as others cheer the Italian police from the street.

Messina Denaro allegedly bragged that his victims could “fill a cemetery.”

The formidable Cosa Nostra organised crime syndicate’s mafia boss also handled racketeering, illicit waste disposal, money-laundering, and drug trafficking.

Even though Messina Denaro had been on the run since 1993, it was believed that he was still giving instructions to his crew from various hidden locations.

By keeping an eye on people closest to Messina Denaro, Italian investigators have frequently come close to apprehending him over the years.

As a result, his sister Patrizia and numerous other accomplices were detained in 2013.

As a result, his sister Patrizia and numerous other accomplices were detained in 2013. Additionally, Messina Denaro’s lucrative companies were taken by the police, further isolating him.

However, Messina Denaro was rarely captured on camera, so when authorities tried to recreate his appearance decades after he fled, they were forced to rely on computer composites. 

It took until 2021 for a recording of his voice to be made public.

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