Granada, Spain - June 20, 2024

The Guardia Civil, as part of Operation "Camine," has apprehended the trusted lieutenant of the Raduano clan leader, from Italy's fourth mafia, for his role in the murder of a resident in Alhendin on November 22, 2023.

Investigators uncovered that the actual shooter was the Raduano clan leader himself, currently incarcerated in an Italian prison. The homicide occurred outside the victim's residence in Alhendin, where both the clan leader and his associate fired three shots at the victim using a hunting shotgun before fleeing in a stolen vehicle.

The deceased was a prominent drug trafficker involved in international hashish trade. The Raduano clan had initially engaged with him for business, providing substantial funds that financed two intercepted hashish shipments, one by the Guardia Civil in Alicante and another in France.

Consequently, the mafia demanded repayment in drugs, leading the victim to hide in an Alhendin housing development to evade capture. The clan leader, who had escaped from an Italian prison and fled the country, sought refuge in his lieutenant's residence in Otura, Granada, also evading justice in Italy. Upon identifying the whereabouts of the indebted trafficker, they meticulously planned his assassination.

The mafia stole three cars in Granada, replaced their license plates, and surveilled the victim's residence to determine his routines. Once established, they ambushed and fatally shot him.

Initially, investigators had limited leads, including three 12-gauge shotgun cartridges and images of a red car fleeing the crime scene. The burnt vehicle found the next day in Las Gabias with fake plates confirmed it was stolen.

Building on this evidence, authorities focused on an Italian citizen residing in Otura and his accomplice. The arrest of the Italian citizen, wanted in Italy for multiple mafia-related murders and attempted homicides, revealed the second suspect to be the mafia leader who had fled Spain post-murder and was subsequently apprehended in Italy.

Following the arrest, the Guardia Civil recovered the murder weapon and ammunition near the burnt car in Las Gabias, a shotgun reported stolen in 2019 from a local residence. Additionally, they retrieved two stolen cars and several stolen license plates.

The investigation was conducted by the Homicide Unit of the UOPJ Granada with support from the Central Operational Unit (UCO), under the direction of the Court of First Instance and Instruction No. 3 of Santa Fe (Granada), in coordination with the Provincial Prosecutor's Office of Granada.