He had become a peaceful trader. But this Sicilian mobster had actually been on the run for two decades. Investigators were still on his trail, however. They confirmed its presence with a photo from Google Maps, present in the Street View feature. And this, despite the face blurring rules in force.
Gioacchino Gammino, head of the mafia group “Stidda”, has been arrested in Spain, near Madrid, according to information from Reuters.
The escapee who sold fruits and vegetables
Aged 61, the man was hiding in the town of Galapagar, about forty kilometers from the capital. He ran a fruit and vegetable store.
“The photo allowed us to confirm the investigation that we were developing in the traditional way,” explains Nicola Atiero, deputy director of the Italian anti-mafia police unit.
The man escaped from Rebibbia prison in Rome in 2002. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for a murder committed several years earlier.
He is believed to be currently still in detention in Spain. Investigators hope to be able to repatriate him to Italy quickly.
A useful tool for authorities
Authorities have been using Google Maps for verification and investigation purposes for several years. In 2015, the seasoned eyes of tax officials from the Lot-et-Garonne department were already trying to visualize undeclared swimming pools in the town of Marmande. A tedious job, but which had made it possible to detect 300 undeclared swimming pools, that is to say a shortfall of 100,000 euros for the tax authorities and the municipality.
Since then, the French tax authorities have made an agreement with Google to automate this search.