Mafia bosses arrested in Italy
Italian police have arrested trio of Mafia brothers
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By Tom Powell
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Sunday, 01, Nov 2009 05:43
Italian police have arrested three suspected mafia bosses in a raid described as a "heavy blow" for the Camorra.
The trio are brothers Pasquale, Salvatore and Carmine Russo. Salvatore, 51, was arrested on Saturday, while Pasquale, 62, and Carmine, 47, were seized in a raid on Sunday.
Salvatore and Pasquale Russo were sentenced in 1995 to life in jail for murder and other mafia-related crimes, while Carmine has been on the run since 2007.
The Russo clan is believed to have controlled organised crime in 40 towns in the Naples area.
Roberto Maroni, the interior minister, described the arrests as "a heavy blow for the Camorra".
"This is a red letter day," he added.
Police in Naples are also seeking a Camorra hitman who shot dead Mariano Bacioterracino, a rival, outside a bar in Naples in May.
The police released CCTV footage of the shooting last week in an appeal to Naples residents, which shocked viewers around the world.
In the video, the killer shoots his victim in view of passers by, who are apparently indifferent to the crime.
The Camorra operates in the Naples area and is believed to have about 5,000 members.