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A Secret Room and a Comfortable Life: A Mobster’s Years on the Run


Matteo Messina Denaro, the Italian mafia boss accused of being arrested this week after 30 years on the run, evaded media attention for another day as he was unable to attend a trial in Sicily on Thursday. .

Messina Denaro, who is being treated for cancer, has received medical attention, local news reports said. His attorney did not return calls or emails seeking comment.

The hearing is part of a proceeding to determine whether Messina Denaro was among those who planned the 1992 bombings that killed two prominent anti-mafia prosecutors. The hearing, which was broadcast nationally, was adjourned to March.

Since his arrest, Messina Denaro has been held in solitary confinement in a high-security prison near the city of L’Aquila, central Italy.

Credit…Carabinieri, via Getty Images

Investigators say that, even when Messina Denaro was wanted, he lived a comfortable life in Campobello di Mazara, a western Sicilian town of 11,000 people near Castelvetrano, his hometown. He went into hiding without ever being caught, leaving investigators with no fingerprints, which further created a kind of myth around him.

In the days since Messina Denaro’s arrest, the Italian media have delved into the details of his life on the rickshaw, including the discovery of a small, secret room by authorities. secret behind a closet in one of his apartments.

The discovery sparked speculation that police could find the so-called “archive” once owned by Salvatore Riina, the “last boss of every boss”, who passed away in 2017. Mr. Messina Denaro is close to Mr. Riina, who has leadership over all Sicilian mafia families.

A police informant said that a collection of Mr. Riina’s notes was given to Mr. Messina Denaro and could shed light on connections between the mafia and national politicians, but the Investigators have yet to determine if such a treasure exists.

On Thursday night, police entered another possible hideout, with dozens of television cameras recording their movements.

In recent months, Messina Denaro has lived in a residential building a few blocks from a local bar that was once frequented by associates arrested last year during a mafia investigation. Over the years, investigators have found evidence that he also stayed in Spain, England and Venezuela while on the run.

According to Pasquale Angelosanto, a general in the Italian military police, when he was arrested on Monday morning, he had just been tested for Covid before a course of chemotherapy in Palermo. Vittorio Gebbia, the oncologist who is treating Messina Denaro, under the alias, at a clinic in Palermo, said his health had deteriorated in recent months.

Investigators believe a network of associates, senior experts and local residents helped conceal Messina Denaro’s reclusive life. Well-known affiliates own wind farms, resorts, gas stations and supermarkets in the area.

The man who accompanied Messina Denaro to the hospital on Monday morning has been arrested. At least two of Messina Denaro’s doctors have also been investigated.

Medical professionals and chemotherapy patients with Mr. Messina Denaro were shocked to learn about his background. They describe him as polite and well-dressed.

One nurse remembers he once said a shirt was worth 700 euros, about $755.

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