Fugitive arrested after police recognized him on YouTube
An Italian mafia fugitive who has been evading police since 2014 was arrested last week after police recognized him on YouTube. Marc Feren Claude Biart, who is wanted by police for allegedly trafficking cocaine, had started a cooking show on YouTube with his wife, BBC News reports.
53-year-old Biart hid his face in the videos – but did not hide his tattoos. Italian police saw the videos and arrested Biart in the small town of Boca Chica, Dominican Republic, they said in a statement, according to BBC News.
Biart has been wanted by police for nearly six years for allegedly trafficking cocaine into the Netherlands. He worked on behalf of the ‘Ndrangheta mafia, which is considered the most powerful organized crime groups in the world, BBC News reports.
The ‘Ndrangheta, which is based in Calabria, Italy, controls most of the cocaine entering Europe. Members are known by nicknames, such as “The Uncle” which is the name that alleged boss Luigi Mancuso goes by.
The crime family is now facing one of Italy’s biggest mafia trials following a long investigation into the group. The trial began in January, and 355 people have been charged. It took more than three hours to read defendants’ names in court, AFP news agency reports.
The charges include murder, drug trafficking, extortion and money laundering, BBC News reports.