ROME, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Giovanni Nicchi, believed to be the new number two of the Sicilian Mafia, was arrested on Saturday in the second major success against organised crime in less than a month, officials said.
Interior Minister Roberto Maroni told Italian television that Nicchi, 28, who was on the police’s list of the 30 most wanted criminals in Italy, was caught in a hideout in the centre of the Sicilian capital, Palermo.
Nicchi, a relatively young boss by Mafia standards who has been on the run for three years, was arrested in an apartment close to Palermo’s courts building, where Mafia trials are held.
Maroni said police believed that Nicchi took over as the Mafia’s number two last month after the arrest of Domenico Raccuglia, who had been on the run for nearly 15 years.
Police in Milan arrested another Mafia boss, Gaetano Fidanzati, 78. on Saturday.
The Sicilian Mafia is now believed to be headed by Matteo Messina Denaro, 51, who is known as the "Playboy Boss" because he likes fast cars, women, and gold watches. He has been on the run since 1993.
