Gaetano Tufo, a fugitive for months, was arrested in a farmhouse in Giugliano. The 53-year-old from Marano di Napoli, believed to be the leader of an international criminal organization involved in illegal gambling, had been wanted since last February.
Known for his ability to evade justice, Tufo has been arrested in the past on similar charges and has a long history of being on the run.
This time, the investigations of the Guardia di Finanza, conducted with the help of wiretaps and surveillance, led to the identification of his hiding place.
Tufo's criminal organization operated on a large scale, with branches in several European countries. The group was involved in illegal activities such as clandestine online gambling and the operation of unauthorized slot machines.
Tufo's arrest is a serious blow to this criminal organization and demonstrates the effectiveness of international cooperation in combating illegal gambling.
Gaetano Tufo, the recipient of a custody order issued in February by the Court of Naples North as part of an investigation into clandestine betting and slot machines, has been arrested.
Even in the previous months he had managed to escape justice for another judicial investigation, from which he was later acquitted thanks to the re-examination. A similar episode had occurred years before: Tufo, accused of links with the Polverino clan, was arrested while he was on the beach on the Lazio coast, after a period of being a fugitive.
Three arrest warrants and three escapes, until today, when the fugitive was finally captured. In the early hours of this morning, the Economic-Financial Police Unit of the Guardia di Finanza of Naples proceeded to arrest the 53-year-old.
Tufo had been wanted since February 1, following an order by the GIP of the Court of Naples North at the request of the Public Prosecutor's Office. The order concerned eleven members of a transnational criminal organization, with connections in Austria, Serbia and the United Kingdom, engaged in both the illegal collection of online bets and the distribution of tampered entertainment machines in various establishments in the province of Naples, disconnected from the telematic network of the Customs and Monopolies Agency.
Tufo's arrest was the result of a complex investigative operation directed by the Prosecutor's Office and conducted by the Guardia di Finanza, with wiretaps, shadowing and searches in various locations in the Giugliano area, as well as surveillance abroad thanks to international police cooperation.
The investigations, supported by advanced technological tools, drones and telephone interceptions, allowed to trace the telephone numbers used by Tufo and his family, finally leading to his capture at the family home.
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