Italian Mafia Boss 'Godmother' Maria Licciardi Arrested: Reports

Notorious Italian mafia superboss Maria Licciardi was arrested August 7 at the Ciampino airport from where she was flying to Spain, according to local reports.

One of the most notable and feared names in Naples, for heading the Camorra cartel during the 1990s, Licciardi has a number of criminal charges against her including financial fraud and extortion.

As per Italian daily La Stampa, the Naples Public Prosecutor's Office issued orders to detain Licciardi following which officers apprehended her at the airport in Rome.

Who Is Maria Licciardi? What To Know

Now 70, Licciardi gained status as the first-ever female chief of the Licciardi Clan, after her brothers were arrested. She also assumed role as the top boss of the Secondigliano Alliance, a coalition of mafia clans in the city of Naples.

From drugs to money to prostitution, Licciardi dabbled in all trades expanding the network and reach of illegal operations backed by the mafia. Considered a ruthless criminal, even more so than her male counterparts, Licciardi evaded police suspicion and arrest for long, prolonging her reign as a concealed figure in the dark commissioning orders.

It was only in 2001 that Licciardi was arrested. However, prison did not mean she gave up her command of the cartel. As go reports from the time, Licciardi continued to pull the strings of crime in Naples from behind the bars. She was eventually released in 2009 and had been out of jail since.

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