Strong clan loyalty, locals, helped mafia boss Messina Denaro stay hidden - Reuters

PALERMO, Italy, Jan 25 (Reuters) - When Salvatore Catalano discovered that mafia brag Matteo Messina Denaro had lived conscionable a abbreviated locomotion from his location successful the occidental Sicilian municipality of Campobello di Mazara, helium felt sick.

Catalano's brother, Agostino, was a policeman who died successful a 1992 weaponry that killed anti-mob magistrate Paolo Borsellino - a onslaught that prosecutors accidental Messina Denaro helped mastermind.

"There's choler successful my bosom and psyche present that I cognize helium was present and I didn't recognise him," Catalano told Reuters.

Messina Denaro, 60, was arrested connected Jan. 16 aft 30 years connected the run. Police judge helium spent overmuch of the past twelvemonth hiding successful plain show successful Campobello di Mazara, a municipality of immoderate 11,000 inhabitants, conscionable a abbreviated thrust from his mother's house.

"We've celebrated the apprehension with my family. He's successful jail and volition present beryllium taxable to pugnacious detention rules," Catalano said.

The past confirmed sighting of Messina Denaro was successful 1993, making it hard for constabulary to place the astir wanted antheral successful Italy. He pb an seemingly open life successful the town, buying for himself successful the section supermarket, authorities said.

Prosecutors accidental their hunt was further analyzable by the unusually beardown loyalty helium received from members of his clan successful the westbound of Sicily.

Reuters interviewed dozens of residents connected the streets of Campobello and from his adjacent hometown of Castelvetrano, arsenic good arsenic prosecutors and constabulary who helped way him down.

They revealed the conflict investigators faced successful trying to interruption done the mafia's partition of "omerta", oregon codification of silence, that had shattered successful different parts of Sicily, but which inactive stood steadfast astir Messina Denaro, dubbed by the Italian property arsenic "the past Godfather".

"I've arrested astatine slightest 200 radical related to him. Only 1 of them decided to collaborate with justice," said Roberto Piscitello, a authoritative who tried to seizure Messina Denaro from 1996 to 2008.

"In the adjacent provinces of Palermo and Agrigento, 5 retired of 10 of the arrested go turncoats," helium told Reuters speaking from his location successful Marsala, connected the occidental extremity of Sicily.

In the end, it wasn't Messina Denaro's chap mobsters who betrayed him, but his failing body.

FALSE IDENTITY

Police accidental they managed to drawback Messina Denaro aft learning from wiretaps of his relatives that helium had cancer.

They had agelong suspected helium was surviving successful his autochthonal Sicily, and a thorough cheque of crab patients successful the portion revealed that a antheral named Andrea Bonafede had country successful the occidental metropolis of Mazara del Vallo astatine the aforesaid clip his mobile telephone had been progressive successful different portion of the island.

Investigators took that arsenic the "first important confirmation" that Messina Denaro could beryllium hidden nether that mendacious identity, judicial documents seen by Reuters showed, due to the fact that it suggested the antheral having the cognition was not the existent Andrea Bonafede, who was presumed to beryllium with his phone.

They homed successful connected the diligent and learned helium was owed to person regular chemotherapy attraction successful the island's superior Palermo connected Jan. 16.

Police surrounded the session and pounced aft the diligent arrived for his appointment. He instantly acknowledged his existent individuality but appeared to dash immoderate hopes that helium would spill the beans connected his beingness of crime.

"I person my codification of honour," a instrumentality enforcement root quoted him arsenic telling magistrates erstwhile they archetypal met him, referring to the Sicilian Mafia's rule, overmuch degraded implicit the past 30 years, of not speaking astir the organisation to anyone outside.

His soundlessness means investigators indispensable effort to portion unneurotic arsenic champion arsenic they tin however helium managed to debar detection done the years.

The archetypal absorption of their probe was connected the existent Andrea Bonafede, a trained surveyor who had nary transgression record.

Bonafede has confirmed knowing Messina Denaro since their younker and has acknowledged buying the mobster a level successful Campobello di Mazara, prosecutors said. He himself is nether apprehension and has not commented publically astir the case.

Police are besides investigating his driver, Giovanni Luppino, an olive husbandman who besides had nary constabulary record. He was carrying a switchblade and had turned disconnected his 2 mobile phones, successful what magistrates accidental was an effort to forestall being traced.

He has denied knowing the existent individuality of his passenger.

Palermo Chief Prosecutor Maurizio de Lucia told Reuters that men specified arsenic Bonafede represented the "first link" of the fugitive's matrix - those who provided for his basal needs.

But helium believes his enactment web had heavy roots.

"His territory helped him for galore years. It is tenable to deliberation helium received extortion from professionals, entrepreneurs," helium said.

Among those already nether probe for allegedly aiding and abetting the brag is his doctor, Alfonso Tumbarello. His lawyer said helium was assured his lawsuit could beryllium his innocence.

BUSINESS CONTACTS

Magistrates said they recovered grounds that Messina Denaro had visited Spain, Greece and Austria implicit the years. But the main absorption of his concern activities remained successful occidental Sicily, meaning helium astir apt spent overmuch of his clip connected the island.

Dozens of lower-level mafiosi were arrested successful the portion done the years - a thinning retired of Messina Denaro's interior ellipse that magistrates said repeatedly interrupted promising leads that they had hoped would 1 time instrumentality them to the boss.

"(But) we could not sacrifice justice. We could not permission mobsters connected the streets," Prosecutor Paolo Guido, who led the agelong hunt to the brag successful the past years, told Reuters.

Prosecutors said the mob main built a wide array of fiscal interests that went acold beyond accepted mafioso concerns, helping him acceptable up a loyal web of achromatic collar professionals.

A concealed 2013 signaling made successful situation revealed erstwhile brag of bosses, Salvatore "the Beast" Riina, had complained that his one-time protege was investing successful renewable vigor projects alternatively than focusing connected hardcore Mafia activities.

"In the Sicilian context, those who are believed to make jobs and the anticipation of doing concern get consensus, protection," said Colonel Antonello Parasiliti Molica, who heads the Carabinieri peculiar forces anti-crime portion successful Palermo.

Writing by Angelo Amante; Editing by Crispian Balmer and Ross Colvin

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