‘Ndrangheta fugitive found, arrested after posting YouTube cooking videos
A Mafia fugitive, who has been on the run since 2014, has been caught after being spotted in YouTube cooking videos he made with his wife, Italian police said last Monday.
Marc Feren Claude Biart, 53, had been avoiding his ordered arrest for alleged cocaine trafficking for the Cacciola clan of the ‘Ndrangheta Mafia, Agence France-Presse said.
He managed to sustain a low-key life in Boca Chica in the Dominican Republic until he put his Italian cooking skills on full display, police said, according to the news agency.
While Biart attempted to hide his face, his distinctive tattoos on his body gave him away, the agency said, without elaborating on their distinctive features.
The video was part of a cooking channel he set up with his wife, according to Calabria News. He had otherwise lived “under the radar” within the large Italian presence in Boca Chica, with locals referring to him as “Marc”.
Biart was shown being escorted to a jet that took him to Milan by Interpol, where he was taken into custody upon landing, according to the report. His arrest was a significant development for the specialist operation I-CAN (Interpol Cooperation Against ‘Ndrangheta).
The ‘Ndrangheta is considered to be one of the world’s most powerful crime families because of its control over the majority of cocaine entering Europe, AFP said.
It has extended its reach across all parts of the world, and it has long surpassed Sicily’s Cosa Nostra as Italy’s biggest Mafia organization.
source: nypost
