Mafia Boss caught in France

An Italian mafia boss, who escaped imprisonment was arrested while having a romantic dinner in France

Marco Raduano, one of the leaders of “Societá foggiana” (“Foggia Society”) was on the Europol´s list of the most wanted criminals in the world. ¨Foggia Society¨ is a well-known Italian criminal cartel famous for its brutality. The cartel is engaged in the drug dealing, arms-trafficking, extortion and gambling. In order to deal with more sufficiency, “Foggia Society” is controlling judicial sector and for several decades stays one of the most influential mafia cartels on the Apennine Peninsula. The area, where mafia is active, resides under its absolute control.

Long history 

Marco Raduano has a long history of criminal cases, which he committed starting from the young age. His criminal baggage includes drug dealing, extortion, robbery and participation in the criminal association. Marco Raduano also leaded a rebellion that sparked a Mafia war in one of the mafia-controlled regions of Italy.

After long history of escaping from the police, Marco Raduano was finally detained has been serving a 24-year-sentence for drug trafficking and other crimes in one of the most secured prisons in Italy. Later he escaped through the window just using his bed sheets from his prison cell. The surveillance cameras caught him; however, he ran away with no guards noticing, which led to the increased to maximum security check in prison. On February 2024 Marco Raduano was caught at a luxurous restaurant in Corsica during the romantic dinner with a young female partner.

Previous escape

Italian authorities also announced that another member of “Societá foggiana¨ and a close ally of Marco Raduano, Gianluigi Troiano, was detained in Granada, Southern Spain. Gianluigi Troiano fled house arrest in 2021 after detaching the tracking bracelet.

Criminal cartels have been affecting social, economic and political life in Italy since 19^th century and are still especially active on the southern part of the Apennine Peninsula.  The most powerful of them was “Costa Nostra” in Sicily in the 19^th century. Nowadays, the most dominant and especially dangerous are: “Stidda” in Sicily, “Sacra Corona Unita” and “Societá foggiana”.

Not the end

Police sources are clear that imprisonment of mafia leaders will not put an end to the existence of the cartel network as every leader has a potential successor, who will sooner or later replace him. However, by detaining the most powerful in the mafia structure, the police showing to the whole cartel that “everyone can be caught”.

Kseniya Sabaleuskaya