Two high-ranking members of the powerful 'Ndrangheta organised crime group have been found "living like animals" in a mountain hideout.
Giuseppe Ferraro, 47, and Giuseppe Crea, 37, who were found with a submachine gun and a collection of rifles and pistols, had been on Italy's most dangerous fugitives list, police said.
They were found in the mountains in the southern Italian region of Calabria, near the town of Maropati, which was once used as a hideout by people fleeing Saracen pirates in the first century.
Ferraro, found guilty in absentia of a string of brutal murders and described by police as "extremely dangerous", had been on the run for 18 years.
Crea, wanted for mafia association and extortion, vanished 10 years ago - both men were still strongly active in the organisation, prosecutors said.
Ferraro is also believed to have been involved in the murder of rival boss Domenico Bonarrigo.
His men took their revenge in 2013 by feeding suspected gunman Ferraro ally Francesco Raccosta alive to pigs.
"They were living in a concrete bunker hidden by dense bushes and trees," said prosecutor Federico Cafiero De Raho.
"They were living like animals, a cold life cut off from society," but with enough contact with the underworld to rule on gang matters when necessary, Mr De Raho said.
Photographs taken by the police showed one of the men in a black jumper and brown fleece in the moment of his arrest, with boxes of cherry tomatoes and a flask visible next to the kitchen sink behind him.
The 'Ndrangheta is described as the most active, richest and most powerful syndicate in Europe and credited with controlling much of the world's cocaine trade.
"Today is another great day for the country, because today justice once again has won, and done so impressively," Italy's Justice Minister Angelino Alfano said in a statement.
[quote="santos"][url]http://www.lbc.co.uk/italian-mafia-bosses-living-like-animals-124105[/url][/quote]
Two high-ranking members of the powerful 'Ndrangheta organised crime group have been found "living like animals" in a mountain hideout.
Giuseppe Ferraro, 47, and Giuseppe Crea, 37, who were found with a submachine gun and a collection of rifles and pistols, had been on Italy's most dangerous fugitives list, police said.
They were found in the mountains in the southern Italian region of Calabria, near the town of Maropati, which was once used as a hideout by people fleeing Saracen pirates in the first century.
Ferraro, found guilty in absentia of a string of brutal murders and described by police as "extremely dangerous", had been on the run for 18 years.
Crea, wanted for mafia association and extortion, vanished 10 years ago - both men were still strongly active in the organisation, prosecutors said.
Ferraro is also believed to have been involved in the murder of rival boss Domenico Bonarrigo.
His men took their revenge in 2013 by feeding suspected gunman Ferraro ally Francesco Raccosta alive to pigs.
"They were living in a concrete bunker hidden by dense bushes and trees," said prosecutor Federico Cafiero De Raho.
"They were living like animals, a cold life cut off from society," but with enough contact with the underworld to rule on gang matters when necessary, Mr De Raho said.
Photographs taken by the police showed one of the men in a black jumper and brown fleece in the moment of his arrest, with boxes of cherry tomatoes and a flask visible next to the kitchen sink behind him.
The 'Ndrangheta is described as the most active, richest and most powerful syndicate in Europe and credited with controlling much of the world's cocaine trade.
"Today is another great day for the country, because today justice once again has won, and done so impressively," Italy's Justice Minister Angelino Alfano said in a statement.