Police inspect the hideout of Matteo Messina, Italy's most wanted mobster

Italian police raided early Tuesday morning the hideout of Italy's most wanted mafia godfather, Matteo Messina Denaro, arrested Monday in Palermo after 30 years on the run, who led a normal life

The hideout of 60-year-old Messina Denaro, known for being a bloodthirsty godfather, was in

, a town of 10,000 inhabitants, 10 kilometers from his hometown, Castelvetrano, in the province of Trapani, where his late father he was feared for leading the local mob.

The police checked the two-story building, painted yellow and entered the apartment where the godfather was staying, according to the images that AFP has had access to.

Investigators, who found no weapons, found instead a

from various brands.

They also discovered medicines and pills to enhance sexual relations as well as condoms, which confirms the gangster's well-known passion for women.

The authorities are investigating the women he received.

The small building was left under permanent police surveillance, which prevents them from approaching.

The mafia boss had lived in that place for at least six months, in a renovated apartment, "which demonstrates the good economic conditions of the fugitive. With refined furniture, of a high level, but not luxury," the commander revealed to the press. Provincial of the Trapani Carabinieri, Fabio Bottino.

Investigators found a collection of expensive perfumes and luxury clothing from various brands in the mobster's lair.

Photo: Reuters

"Investigations are being carried out, analyzing the biological traces, looking for the nooks and crannies where he could hide documentation. A job that will take several days," he explained.

He introduced himself to his neighbors as

, had a valid identity card and said he was a doctor.

Matteo Messina Denaro, who was arrested on Monday at a clinic in Palermo where he was undergoing cancer treatment under a false name, was transferred overnight aboard a military helicopter to

central Italy. to a high security prison.

Italian police raid the house where Messina lived under the name of Andrea Bonafede.

Photo: AFP

The last godfather of Cosa Nostra, who was a ruthless and invisible kingpin,

thanks to its ramifications in various sectors, from drug trafficking to real estate, wind energy and online gambling.

Matteo Messina Denaro follows in the footsteps of the historical godfathers of Cosa Nostra, Toto Riina and Bernardo Provenzano, who died in prison in 2017 and 2016, respectively.

Leader of the new generation that took over from the old godfathers, the "Prince of Trapani", as he was often called, had a true passion for luxury and gold watches.

In fact, he was very well dressed and wore a watch valued at between 30 and

, said those responsible for his capture.

According to the newspaper Il Messaqgero, he has a fortune of about

thanks to his million-dollar illegal and legal businesses.

"Carabinieri" experts at the Messina house, in Palermo.

Photo: AFP

"Now we are going to investigate this

that has protected him in all these years," said Maurizio de Lucia, Palermo's chief prosecutor, during a press conference on Monday.

For now , the investigations are focused on

.

Among them is the doctor who treated him as a cancer patient,

, 70 years old.

Many wonder if the Godfather

, like the 1990s bombings that rocked Italy and transformed the criminal organization forever.

In the list drawn up by the Ministry of the Interior of the six most wanted criminals in Italy, Matteo Messina Denaro, born in April 1962,

Sentenced in absentia in 2000 to

for murder, in 2020 he was sentenced again for the attack on anti-mafia judge Giovanni Falcone, murdered by order of the Cosa Nostra leadership in 1992.

AFP

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