Edgardo Greco, a member of the Calabrian 'Ndrangheta mafia, sentenced in Italy to life imprisonment for murder and attempted murder in the early 1990s, was arrested this Thursday in France in an operation coordinated by Interpol.
His arrest, which occurred in the city of Saint-Etienne (east), was carried out by agents of the French National Fugitive Search Brigade (BNRF) thanks to the investigative work of the police of the city of Cosenza directed by the chief prosecutor of Catanzaro, Nicola Gratteri, the international police agency explained in a statement.
Greco, who is 63, had been on the run for 16 years, ever since he managed to escape police custody in Italy.
He was wanted to serve a life sentence, in particular for the double murder in January 1991 of Stefano and Guiseppe Bartolomeo.
He is also accused of having tried to kill Emmanuel Bartolomeo and Emiliano Mosciaro, all in one of the so-called "mafia wars" between the Pino Sena and Perna Pranno gangs, which marked the first part of the 1990s.
Interpol highlighted the congratulations on his capture of the Italian Interior Minister, Matteo Piantedosi, which in his opinion shows that his country is committed to the fight against all forms of organized crime and to the location of dangerous fugitives.
Jürgen Stock, secretary general of the international police agency (which is based in the French city of Lyon), insisted for his part that "no matter how much fugitives try to have a peaceful life abroad, they cannot evade justice indefinitely".
Specialized officials from around the world will always ensure that justice is done, he added.
