Catanzaro Chief Prosecutor Nicola Gratteri (L), one of Italy’s best-known anti-Mafia investigators, arrives for the biggest ever trial into Italy’s most powerful Mafia, the Calabria-based ‘Ndrangheta, in the Calabria regiion on January 13. File Photo by Salvatore Monteverde/EPA-EFE
Jan. 5 (UPI) — An Italian Mafia fugitive arrested in Spain faces life in prison after 20 years on the run from police.
A Google Street View appearance led to the arrest of a Gioacchino Gammino.
Italy’s La Repubblica reported Wednesday that Gammino seemed surprised when police found him.
“How did you find me? I hadn’t phoned my family in 10 years,” he said to police.
He was arrested in Galapagar near Madrid.
Gammino is a convicted murderer. He was identified in an image of two men talking at a fruit and vegetable shop in Galapagar.
Gammino was among the most wanted Italian fugitives. He was working as a chef and owned a fruit and vegetable shop when arrested.
The arrest happened Dec. 17 but was first reported Wednesday.
Gammino had been serving a life sentence for murder and other crimes when he escaped from Rebibbia prison in Rome in 2002.
His escape came while a film was being made at the prison.
Palermo prosecutor Francesco Lo Voi told The Guardian investigators had tracked him to Spain.
“It’s not as if we spend our days wading through Google Maps to find fugitives,” Lo Voi said. “There were many previous and long investigations, which led us to Spain. We were on a good path, with Google Maps helping to confirm our investigations.”
Gammino’s capture comes months after another Mafia fugitive was found after starting a YouTube cooking show with his wife in the Dominican Republic.
Marc Feren Claude Biart was a member of the ‘Ndrangheta mafia clan in Calabria
who eluded police in 2014 and has been on the run for seven years. He was careful to hide his face in the YouTube videos, but distinguishing tattoos gave him away and he was arrested in March.