Who Is Maria Licciardi? Italian Mafia Boss Gets Arrested

Who is Maria Licciardi: She who is popularly known as the ‘Godmother’ was arrested on August 7 at the Ciampino airport as she was going to board a flight to the Costa del Sol. 

The seventy-year-old Italian Mafia boss, who was hoping to visit her daughter, was arrested at the Ciampino airport in Rome. She was cuffed by the Italian military police while waiting in the queue leading to the check-in desk. 

Who is Maria Licciardi?

According to an Italian newspaper, La Republica, she was intending to meet her daughter and attend some business in Southern Spain. She is also referred to as ‘la piccoletta’, which means the little one.

She was accused of heinous crimes like extortion, being involved in mafia-led organisations, auction rigging and receiving illegal funds. According to prosecutors, she is allegedly the ‘super boss’ of the Licciardi clan. Earlier, she had spent eight years in prison before being released in December 2009. 

The arrest of her husband and two brothers in the 1990s reportedly gave Licciardi the higher pedestal in the clan. She belonged to the Camorra crime family in Italy. Camorra constitutes a group of criminal clans who despite trying to work together, have a history of macabre internal conflicts.

They resided in Naples, Italy. Being the boss of one of the largest Camorra families, she became a prominent name in the nation’s thirty most wanted criminal list compiled by the Italian police.

In the absence of her husband and brothers, she allegedly took over the mafia business that dealt with the clan’s prostitution, drug trafficking, cigarette smuggling and other rackets. Despite being in this unconventional business for women, Licciardi was at par with the other male Camorra bosses while conducting deals and taking action.

As per reports, she had convinced the other bosses to maintain peace among each other as internal feuds lead to a loss in the business. However, a sudden turn of events resulting in a massive drug scandal had created rifts among the groups. Numerous men from her group were killed, including one of her nephews. To seek revenge, she had commanded her male counterparts to conduct massive killings. 

The police issued a warrant against her in 1999. She went into hiding till 2001. According to the police, she changed her residence frequently and was shielded by a colossal network that concealed her location. However, the police recognised her in Naples following her earlier arrest in 2001. 

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