Advertisement

Mafia Arrests Over Godfather's Secret Notes

Mafia Arrests Over Godfather's Secret Notes

Police have arrested 11 people suspected of using coded messages to help the fugitive boss of the Sicilian mafia evade capture.

Matteo Messina Denaro, also known as Diabolik, has apparently been giving orders using the traditional mafia system of pizzini - secret paper notes.

One of the 11 men detained in police raids was Vito Gondola - an old-time mafioso in his 70s.

He allegedly used phrases such as "the sheep need shearing", "I've put the ricotta cheese aside for you" and "the hay is ready" to tell the rest of the gang when the boss had a new message.

Secret video showed members of the group meeting in the Sicilian countryside to read the notes, which were often hidden under rocks, and then immediately destroyed.

The group had been under surveillance since 2011.

Messina Denaro communicated with his henchmen every 15 days, according to Italian media.

The 53-year-old is believed to be the successor of jailed Godfathers Toto Riina and Bernardo 'The Tractor' Provenzano - but has been on the run since 1993.

Messina Denaro is said to have committed dozens of murders, and in 2011 Forbes named him as the world's sixth most-wanted, alongside al Qaeda terrorists and Mexican drug lords.

Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi praised the police sting on his Facebook page, saying it had dealt a significant blow to the mafia and wishing "full speed ahead" in the hunt for Messina Denaro.