One of Italy’s most dangerous fugitives, Vincenzo La Porta, 60, has been apprehended in Greece after an 11-year run from the authorities. His whereabouts were accidentally revealed when he appeared in a photo cheering on his favorite football team.
La Porta, who is believed to have strong ties to the notorious Camorra crime syndicate in Naples, had been convicted in absentia in Italy for criminal association, tax evasion, and fraud. Earlier this year, he was spotted in a photo celebrating Napoli’s first Italian championship victory in over three decades while in Greece.
The Napoli Carabinieri police credited La Porta’s passion for football and his beloved Napoli team as the reason for his capture. Following the championship win, he couldn’t resist joining the celebration, unaware that his photo would give away his location.
Authorities had been relentlessly pursuing La Porta, closely monitoring his financial and online activities, waiting for an opportunity to catch him. His arrest took place while he was riding his moped on the Greek island of Corfu. He is currently in jail awaiting extradition to Italy, where he faces a 14-year and four-month prison sentence.
La Porta’s lawyer expressed concerns about his client’s family, stating that he had started a new family in Greece, including a nine-year-old boy, and was working as a cook to make ends meet. Extradition to Italy could potentially ruin their lives.
Italian investigators successfully collaborated with Greek authorities to track down and arrest La Porta after identifying him in the photo taken outside a Corfu restaurant with Napoli fans.
This incident recalls a similar event earlier in the year when an Italian mafia boss, on the run for decades, was arrested after being spotted on Google Maps.