By The newspaper
25 Sep 2023, 18:22 PM EDT
Matteo Messina Denaro, a notorious figure in the world of organized crime and one of the most wanted men in Italy for three decades, has died. His death marks the end of an era in the criminal world.
Matteo Messina Denaro was a leading figure within the Cosa Nostra mafia, known for his involvement in a wide range of criminal activities, including murders, extortion, illegal waste dumping, money laundering and drug trafficking.
His criminal reign lasted several decades and he was believed to be behind numerous murders, including the 1992 murders of anti-mafia prosecutors Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, according to the BBC.
Despite being tried and sentenced to life in prison in absentia in 2002, Denaro remained elusive and had been on the run since 1993. He once boasted that he could “fill a cemetery” with his victims, highlighting the cruelty of his criminal activities.
The last “secret keeper” of Cosa Nostra
Denaro was not only a prolific criminal, he was also considered the last “keeper of secrets” of the Cosa Nostra mafia. Informants and prosecutors believed he had crucial information and the names of people involved in several high-profile mafia crimes.
Throughout his years as a fugitive, Denaro managed to evade capture while allegedly giving orders to his subordinates from undisclosed locations. His ability to remain hidden made him a symbol of the state’s struggle to penetrate the upper echelons of organized crime syndicates.
The life of Matteo Messina Denaro on the run came to an end in January of this year, when he was arrested. At the time of his arrest, he was battling cancer and had been transferred from prison to a hospital.
In recent months, Denaro underwent surgery related to his cancer, but reportedly did not recover from his latest operation. Last Friday he fell into an irreversible coma in a hospital in L’Aquila, a city in central Italy, and had not requested any aggressive medical treatment, according to the BBC.
the end of an era
The death of Matteo Messina Denaro has ended a chapter in the history of organized crime. The mayor of L’Aquila, Pierluigi Biondi, described it as “the epilogue of an existence lived without regrets or regrets” and acknowledged that it was a significant part of recent history.
Although Denaro’s death marks the end of his reign of terror, the shadow of his crimes and his role within the Cosa Nostra mafia will continue to be part of criminal history.
Keep reading:
· Matteo Messina Denaro: The last leader of the “Cosa Nostra” is arrested after 30 years of persecution
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