It was a great month for mobsters, I'm certain it was for many of them — just not for all of them
It wasn't for these three at least, a trio of Mafia fugitives from Italy whose life on the run and
in the sun was just cut short. One was caught in a hospital in Portugal, after catching COVID. Another
was collared while shopping at a market in Spain. The other? He was pinched on a Caribbean island
after eagle-eyed cops recognized the tattoos on his arms in his wife's YouTube cooking videos
The Mob Reporter here with news of why a dozen Mafia fugitives from the 'Ndrangheta, one of the
world's most successful criminal networks, who were on the run from Italian justice have been bagged
abroad in the last 10 months. Let me tell you about it. I'll start with Marc Feren Claude Biart
Biart, 53 years old, has been on the run for seven years steering clear of Italy since 2014 when
police launched Operation Mauser. It was a sweep targeting the Cacciola clan of Rosarno, a town long
plagued by the mob. In 2008, for instance, the entire town council was dissolved by the government
because of Mafia infiltration. Biart is accused of moving coke into Europe through the Netherlands
The Cacciola clan was done in by a very well-placed and entirely avoidable informant
When one of the Cacciola men killed himself, his family treated his widow like a slave
blaming her for his suicide, which remains a deep taboo among old school Catholics
In her despair and isolation she got revenge by mapping out to investigators
the clans trafficking routes through Holland and Germany, using false bottoms in rented cars
For many fugitive 'Ndrangheta members, life on the run is an isolating and hard affair
Sometimes hiding in remote rugged cabins with periods in bunkers or tunnels with an air pump
and bottled water. Biart had other ideas. He was hiding in plain sight on a Caribbean island
living the sweet life of an expat in a beach town outside of Santo Domingo, the capital of
the Dominican Republic. Five years ago he settled in Boca Chica. Police said he was reserved but
friendly there, introducing himself simply as Marc. Biart loves to eat and likes to cook
His wife, police say, started a YouTube channel specializing in Italian cuisine. Biart would
appear in them but trying to be coy and careful made sure never to show his face — just as hands and
arms were seen reaching for ingredients, stirring sauces and flipping meat. There was enough of his
bare arms shown, however, for observant officers to trace his tattoos and match them to Biart
His love for Italian food — and careless social media — revealed the identity of the fugitive
chef. He was arrested March 24, 2021. Agents with Interpol escorted him back to Italy. He arrived at
the airport in Milan on March 29, where he was greeted by Italian police. That same day, a far
more important mobster was also caught — this one in Portugal. He was flushed out not by his hobby
but by the pandemic. He caught COIVD, you see, and went to a clinic for medical treatment. Francesco Pelle, 43
is known by the nickname "Ciccio Pakistan." He is a member of the Pelle 'Ndrangheta clan from San Luca
and an important player in a notorious family feud that rocked the underworld. For most people
outside of Italy, if they have heard of the 'Ndrangheta it's because of the Pelle clan
The 'Ndrangheta hit the headlines around the world in a major way in 2007. It was from an incident
called the Duisburg Massacre — a deadly gangland attack in Germany which was part of a long
vendetta raging between rival 'Ndrangheta clans from San Luca. One of those clans was the Pelle
clan and Francesco Pelle was a protagonist in this perplexing affair, both as a victim and attacker
San Luca is a small place in Calabria but carries immense status within the 'Ndrangheta
It's often called the "cradle of the Calabrian Mafia." With so many 'Ndrangheta clans bumping into
each other in such a small space, sometimes things get tense. Two alliances of clans
particularly were rubbing each other the wrong way. On one side was the Nirta-Strangio family
and on the other was Pelle's family allied with the Vottari family. One unfortunate day
in 1991, some young guys from the Nirta-Strangio families were throwing eggs during a town carnival
Some of the eggs hit a social center and others a car. The social center was run by
members of the Pelle clan and one of the cars was owned by a member of the Vottari family
Angry over the sign of disrespect the Vottari man went and shot at the kids, killing two of them. The
war was on. There was a series of revenge attacks, a tit-for-tat with each hit keeping the feud alive
Two years later, it was getting out of hand and a truce was finally called
That peace lasted until 2005, when an intemperate threat turned into a killing and then to another
retaliation. In the revenge that followed Francesco Pelle — our friend "Ciccio Pakistan," the fugitive who
was just caught, was shot on his balcony as he stood holding his newborn son. Francesco Pelle was
paralyzed from the waist down in the botched hit. Outraged, he demanded a massive response
That came on Christmas Day, 2006
when the home of their rivals was attacked. In the midst of the gunfight, it wasn't the
boss that fell, it was the boss's wife and a spectacular act of vengeance was expected
It came less than a year later and thirteen hundred miles away, in Duisburg, Germany. Six
men were shot and killed outside a pizzeria, where they had gathered to celebrate a birthday
Two of them were suspected of being directly involved in the Christmas Day shooting
The shock and the brazenness of this deadly attack, highlighting the harsh outlaw
culture of the 'Ndrangheta, pushed the secretive organization into mainstream news around the world
Francesco Pelle was later found guilty for his role in the Christmas Day attack
and has been on the run and on the list of Italy's most dangerous fugitives —
although it seems cruel to call it a life on the run, as he was stuck in a wheelchair
from the botched hit on the balcony. After he was found in Portugal, he remains under guard in the
hospital's COVID clinic in Lisbon. How would you like to pull that guard duty? And finally, we go
to Barcelona, Spain. Here is where Giuseppe Romeo, 34, was found. His capture was the first that started
this cascade, after Spanish police caught him on March 12, 2021. Romeo escaped arrest in 2018 when
police in Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg launched simultaneous raids. At the time
it was called the largest coordinated joint-action operation against an organized criminal group
in Europe. It targeted an alliance of 'Ndrangheta clans trafficking cocaine throughout Europe
and Giuseppe Romeo, police allege, was in the thick of it, acting as promoter, organizer and financier
Although he wasn't found when they went to arrest him, Romeo shuttled around between his home base
in Calabria to Lombardy, in northern Italy, which borders Switzerland, and in northern Europe — mainly
Germany and Holland. Authorities traced almost 4,000 kilos of coke and hundreds of kilos of
various other commodities during the course of the investigation. Police found Italian restaurants
were being used as cover for their activities abroad and for laundering their proceeds. Romeo
was facing 20 years in prison, so he steered clear of coming home. Romeo was caught going to a large
food market in Barcelona. Investigators first found a close family member living in the area
and set up discrete surveillance, leading to an address. Police watched as Romeo left home with
what police described as "a sentimental partner." They were tailed to Sant Gervasi Market, where he
was positively identified as Giuseppe Romeo. He was also on the list of top 100 most dangerous
fugitives. It's a list that is constantly being topped back up after each arrest
These guys are just three of an even dozen of 'Ndrangheta fugitives who fled Italy and
have been caught in other countries in the last 10 months. Police told me there had been three
found in Argentina, two in Albania, two in Spain, and one each in Canada, Switzerland, Costa Rica,
Dominican Republic, and Portugal. This is not a coincidence. Interpol — the international criminal
police organization — calls the 'Ndrangheta the most powerful criminal organization in the world
Italian police even compare it to the pandemic itself — it started small in Calabrian towns
and spread around the world, like a virus. The 'Ndrangheta's roots are in the Italian region
of Calabria. That's the toe of the boot-shaped map of Italy. There are 'Ndrangheta clans present in 32
different countries, but police complained that despite their international presence, financial
success, criminal involvement at highest levels, and the occasional splash of violence, few outside of
Italy really understand its danger. Police are trying to change that. Interpol is coordinating
an international effort called the I-CAN Project — short for Interpol Cooperation Against 'Ndrangheta
The project includes 11 countries, including those where there is a significant and 'Ndrangheta presence
Italy is joined by the United States, Canada, Germany
Australia, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, France, Switzerland, and Uruguay. And tracking down
Mafia fugitives around the world is a key part of the project's objectives
Recent results suggest it's working
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