‘LA MADRINA’

70-Year-Old Mafia ‘Godmother’ Arrested While Checking Luggage at Rome Airport

Investigators claim that Maria Licciardi, head of the Licciardi Camorra crime syndicate clan, ran extortion rackets—and that she “didn’t bat an eyelash” during her arrest.

A 70-year-old reputed mafia “Godmother”—dubbed “a piccirella” by mobsters for her petite build—was arrested Saturday morning while checking her luggage at an airport in Rome. The Guardian reports that Maria Licciardi, reported head of the Licciardi Camorra crime syndicate, stands accused of running extortion rackets and, according to the Italian news agency ANSA, “didn’t bat an eyelash” as authorities served the warrant. Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese was pleased with the arrest, according to Sky News, and said she believes it will help “counteract the Camorra organizations that widely control large territories and manage illicit affairs.” Licciardi was among Italy’s 30 most wanted fugitives at the time of her first arrest in 2001, The Guardian reports; she was released from prison in 2009 after serving nearly eight years.