Italy arrests Mafia boss, on run for 15 years

updated 3:06 p.m. ET Nov. 15, 2009

PALERMO, Italy - Italian police arrested a top Sicilian mafia boss on Sunday who had been a fugitive for more than 15 years, dealing what a minister said was a major blow to the crime syndicate.

Domenico Raccuglia, considered the most prominent member of the Cosa Nostra after the most wanted fugitive, Matteo Messina Denaro, has been convicted in absentia to three life sentences for murder and other Mafia crimes.

Interior Minister Roberto Maroni said Raccuglia's arrest was "one of the strongest blows inflicted on Mafia organizations in recent years because he was, effectively, the number two of Cosa Nostra."

Police said Raccuglia had been seized in a house near Trapani, in the western tip of Sicily, and has been taken to the island's capital, Palermo. He was considered the head of important Mafia clans operating in and between the two cities.

Although his wife was kept under police surveillance, he managed to father a second child while he was on the run.

More from msnbc.com U.S. officials say top al-Qaida leader killed Credit card debt, terms limit holiday spending  WorldBlog: Chinese activist in Tokyo airport limbo ConsumerMan: It’s a ruby ... but it’s not the real thing Audi R8: German precision meets Latin flair  Battling for resources — with guns, swords Cosmic Log: Light show sparks UFO buzz Giving back for the holidays? Send us your pictures

MORE FROM EUROPE

Europe Section Front

Accepting peace prize, Obama defends war Analysis of Obama speech: Take that, Cheney Full text of Obama's Nobel Peace Prize speech Stolen e-mails embolden warming skeptics Soros: Finance gap could 'wreck' climate talks Russia admits missile caused UFO lights   Man reports theft of Ecstasy pill collection 15 Turkish miners trapped Man convicted in British bomb plot Zookeeper critical after tiger attack Europe Section Front   Add Europe headlines to your news reader: