Mafia boss captured after 16 years on run

(REUTERS)

Italian police arrested one of the country's most wanted mafia bosses yesterday, dealing a blow to one of the most powerful criminal clans in the region around Naples.

Pasquale Russo, 62, considered one of Italy's top 10 mafia fugitives, had been on the run since 1993 before being arrested at dawn on Sunday in a remote farmhouse near Sperone, 50 miles north of Naples. In a statement, police said he was the chief of the Russo clan and described him as "extremely dangerous".

He was convicted in absentia and sentenced to life in prison for 13 homicides and criminal association with the mafia. His brother, Salvatore Russo, 51, was arrested on Saturday after 14 years on the run. A third brother, Carmine, was also arrested.

The Russo clan, based near the town of Nola, is a leading player in the Camorra organised crime syndicate that operates in and around Naples.