Alleged Mafia boss arrested in Naples

Published: Dec. 15, 2007 at 3:44 PM

NAPLES, Italy, Dec. 15 (UPI) -- Italian authorities have arrested an alleged Mafia boss, considered one of Italy's most dangerous fugitives.

Edoardo Contini, 52, is accused of being one of the most powerful bosses of the Neapolitan Mafia, BBC reported Saturday. He was detained in a Naples suburb Friday night.

Contini's arrest comes after Sicilian Mafia chief Salvatore Lo Piccolo, known as "the boss of bosses," was arrested last month, the BBC reported

"Edoardo Contini was perhaps the most dangerous boss in Naples," Italian Interior Minister Giuliano Amato said in a statement.

Francesco Forgione, president of the Italian parliament's anti-Mafia commission, described Contini's cartel as "one of the most dangerous and violent".

Contini had evaded arrest since 2000. He is suspected of running extortion rackets and drug trafficking for the Mafia and being a member of the Neapolitan Mafia's ruling board, the "cupola."

© 2007 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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