Antonio La Torre, 62, is being held on remand in Italy after a series of police raids. Police claim they have evidence to suggest he and his brother threatened to kill two public prosecutors
A Scots Mafia boss is back behind bars over allegations involving guns and threats to kill prosecutors.
Aberdeen restaurateur Antonio La Torre – dubbed the ‘Don on the Don’ – is being held on remand in Italy after a series of police raids.
La Torre, 62, moved to the North-East in 1984, allegedly to set up a money laundering operation for the mob. He was arrested in 2005 and jailed in Italy for extortion and racketeering before being freed in 2014.
He is the brother of Augusto La Torre, 55, who has admitted more than 40 murders and is believed to be kingpin in the Naples-based Camorra crime syndicate, although he now claims to be a reformed character.
Now, Italian police say they have evidence the siblings threatened to kill two public prosecutors, Alessandro D’Alessio and his deputy, Maria Laura Lalia Morra. The plan was allegedly hatched from Augusto’s prison cell – he is serving 22 years for murder and extortion after being jailed in 2003.
The alleged targets were revealed via intercepted phone calls and authorities say wiretaps also caught discussions about where to hide guns.
In one taped conversation released to the Italian media, Augusto tells Antonio he ‘kills people’ and orders him to ‘call’ Mr D’Alessio. The authorities argue this was a veiled threat.
Police said Antonio is in custody in Parma and will appear in court soon. He was arrested in the seaside town of Mondragone, near Naples, in the Campania region of Italy.
Campania Police Chief Commissioner Marta Sabino said: ‘Antonio La Torre was arrested by anti-Mafia police. He is on remand and will be processed in the next months.’
Antonio and three other men were arrested in a series of raids. They are being investigated for illegal possession of firearms, attempted extortion, attempted robbery and being involved in the Mafia. Antonio has denied any involvement.
He appeared to be a respectable businessman in Aberdeen until it emerged he had been laundering money through fitness clubs, catering firms, pubs and betting shops.
The father of three – who is divorced from his Scottish wife, Gillian Fraser– opened two Italian restaurants, Pavarotti’s and Sorrento.
He and his brother are the sons of the late feared Mafia boss Tiberio La Torre.