The Italian mobster Eduardo Greco, believed to be a member of the powerful Calabrian 'Ndrangheta criminal organization, was arrested today in Saint-Etienne, France, after 16 years on the run, reports "Bi-bi-si". He was caught in the French city, where he worked as a pizza chef for at least three years.

The 63-year-old mobster was sentenced to life in prison in his native country for the murder of two brothers and another attempted murder, and French police arrested him thanks to information received from the Italian carabinieri. He was arrested around 1:40 this morning on a street in Saint Etienne.

Greco appeared this afternoon before the prosecutor in Lyon who officially notified him of the arrest warrant issued by the Italian authorities. He said he refused to hand himself over to Italian judicial authorities, after which he was taken into custody.

The Italian Minister of the Interior Matteo Piantedosi on Twitter expressed his satisfaction that arrests of dangerous fugitives continue thanks to the joint work and international cooperation of police forces.

According to testimonies and documents seen by the French press, he lived under the name Paolo Dimitrio and worked in several Italian restaurants in St. Etienne. Carabinieri said the prosecutor's office in Catanzaro, Calabria, issued a European warrant against him in 2014 after he was sentenced to life in prison for murders committed in January 1991 and attempted murder in July 1991.

His arrest came a week after a major police operation against the mafia in Calabria, in which 300 members of the security forces took part, confiscated goods worth more than 250 million euros. Hundreds of 'Ndrangheta members are currently on trial.

The arrest of Denaro is a strong blow, but the mafia has also endured greater shocks