Italian ‘most wanted’ mafia boss Mario Riccio arrested in police crackdown on Camorra crime organisation

Video footage showed Riccio did not resist arrest after police disabled the surveillance systems at his home

Police in Naples released video footage of Mario Riccio, one of Italy's most wanted mafia crime bosses

One of Italy’s most dangerous wanted criminals has been arrested by police in Naples as part of a major crackdown on mafia activity across the country.

Organised crime boss Mario Riccio, 23, has been on the run since 2011 and faces a 16-year jail sentence for drug trafficking offences.

Police said Riccio, nicknamed Mariano, was the youngest fugitive on a list of around 100 considered the most wanted across Italy.

He is believed to be the head of the Amato-Pagato branch of the Camorra mafia clan. Based in Naples, Camorra is one of the most powerful Italian crime networks with influence extending to Rome and as far north as Florence, according to BBC News.

Video footage released by the police showed the arrest, reportedly at a house north of Naples where Riccio was staying with his wife and baby daughter, in which no attempt was made to resist officers.

According to local media reports, Mario’s home was fitted with an extensive video surveillance system that was disabled by police ahead of the raid.

In a separate operation, police arrested 29 suspected Camorra members based in Rome in relation to charges of fraud and extortion. They reportedly seized assets worth an estimated €400 million (£330 million).

As well as its links to fraud and drugs trafficking networks, the Camorra clan is reported to be involved in the illegal dumping of huge amounts of waste around Naples.

In December last year four members of the organisation were arrested in the city for forcing shopkeepers to buy overpriced poinsettia plants in the run up to Christmas.