A mafia boss took full advantage of staff shortages to escape a high security prison using a 'well planned' method.
Marco Raduano, aka 'Pallone', has a long-running criminal career as a prominent figure in the Sacra Corona Unita mafia in Italy.
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In 2018, the 40-year-old was arrested as part of a drug and weapon trafficking sting, and earlier this month, he received his final sentence of 19 years behind bars, as well as three years probation.
This means he wouldn't get out until 2046.
But Raduano seemingly hatched a plan that allowed him to escape Badu 'e Carros, a high security jailhouse in Nuoro, Sardinia, a place that was once considered the safest prison in Italy.
In surveillance footage captured on Friday, 24 February, Raduano was seen using a rope made of knotted bed sheets.
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Looking like a scene from a movie, he uses the makeshift line to climb down the building before dropping onto the grass below and making a run for it.
Reports state that Raduano had somehow obtained a set of keys from a prison guard and made his getaway during a shift change, as only one guard keeps watch of the unit due to staffing issues.
What's more, his escape wasn't even discovered until two hours later, as according to union officials, no one currently oversees the surveillance footage.
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Giovanni Villa, general secretary of the FNS Cisl Sardegna union, spoke to Italian newspaper, Il Messaggero, about the issue.
"For months we have been denouncing the lack of personnel and this is the main factor that has compromised security in the Nuoro prison," he said.
Regarding the escape, Villa added: "The prisoner from Puglia escaped in a daring way from one of the safest penitentiaries in Italy.
"It seems he had everything ready and that the escape was well planned and planned for some time."
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Authorities have now launched a manhunt to find the felon, who undeniably had a head start thanks to the delay in discovering his absence.
A number of measures have been put in place in Sardinia, including roadblocks and checks at transport centres such as airports.
As well as checking any vehicles attempting to leave the area, the government has instructed the distribution of hundreds of soldiers and cops to the island in order to help with the search efforts.
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If any members of the public happen to come across Raduano, they have been warned to stay away and to contact the emergency services immediately.
Topics: World News, Crime
Daisy Phillipson