Mafia boss held in Brazil after 30 years on run

A suspected boss of the Naples-based crime syndicate known as the Camorra has been arrested in Brazil after more than 30 years on the run, police said.

Thu, 28 May, 2015 - 01:00

Brazil’s Federal Police said Pasquale Scotti was arrested in the northeastern city of Recife, where he used false identification, taxpayer and voter registration documents.

A police statement said that Scotti has been charged with murder, extortion and the illegal possession of weapons in Italy. The Italian government is expected to initiate extradition proceedings in the next few days.

In a statement, Italian interior minister Angelino Alfano praised the arrest as an “extraordinary” coup, noting that the 56-year-old Scotti was among the most dangerous fugitives on Italy’s most-wanted list.

Scotti was convicted in absentia and sentenced to life in prison in 2005.

He led a discreet life in Brazil, after undergoing plastic surgery, called himself Francisco de Castro Visconti and owned a real estate firm and a fireworks firm.

A fingerprint comparison led to Scotti’s arrest.