Salvatore D'Avino, 39, was traced by detectives after they spotted the snaps of his heavily pregnant girlfriend Brada Hint in front of sign giving the name and location of a Spanish restaurant.

One of Italy's most-wanted Mafia mobsters has been arrested after his blundering girlfriend posted pictures of them on Facebook.

Salvatore D'Avino, 39, was traced by detectives after they spotted the snaps of his heavily pregnant girlfriend Brada Hint in front of sign giving the name and location of a Spanish restaurant.

Italian police alerted the Spanish authorities who traced the couple to their hideout in Marbella on the Costa del Sol and arrested D'Avino.


Facebooked: Mafioso Salvatore D'Avino, 39, was arrested in Spain after his girlfriend posted pictures on the social networking site


Blunder: The mobster's girlfriend posted this picture of herself on Facebook showing a sign with the name and location of a popular restaurant

D'Avino is said to be a member of the Giuliano clan of the Naples mafia which is known as the Camorra and had been on the run for almost ten years.

He was listed on the Italian police's top 100 most wanted and had several convictions for drug trafficking.


Italian police said he had also been arrested in Spain on drug charges and was said to be part of a plot to flood Marbella with more than 250,000 Ecstasy tablets.

Police said he had been hiding in Morocco for years and travelled to Spain by boat a few days ago and his Moroccan companion followed him under a false name as she was about to give birth.

Hint, 31, published several photos on Facebook of her outside upmarket Marbella nightspot Nikki Beach Club where the couple were staying and police swooped as D'Avino was filling up his car with petrol.

A picture released by Italian police showed him handcuffed and wearing a designer Versace T shirt and shorts as he was led to a waiting squad car flanked by Italian and Spanish police.

The Costa del Sol is a popular haven with gangsters from all over the world - including Britain - which has led to it being dubbed the Costa del Crime, in 2008 British mobsters were involved in a shooting at Nikki Beach Club.

The Giuliano clan is one of the most powerful clans in the historical centre of the southern city of Naples and police had issued two arrest warrants for D'Avino in 2003 and 2007 on drug trafficking and mafia charges and he faces up to 20 years in prison.


Thanks for the tip-off: Italian police contacted the Spanish authorities after spotting the pictures on line

Marshall Angelo Mazzagatti, of the Naples police who led the operation said: "He couldn't believe it when police arrived and arrested him. He thought after nearly a decade on the run he was home free.

'When he asked how we had found him and we told him he was not at all happy with his girlfriend who is heavily pregnant and about to give birth.

'When we saw the pictures on Facebook we could not believe his girlfriend had been so stupid. It was very easy to track them down as she was stood in front of a restaurant sign in Marbella.'

He added that D'Avino's Moroccan born girlfriend was not wanted by police and would probably be released after questioning.

It is not the first time that a wanted mobster has been arrested by Italian police through Facebook.

Last year on the run Pasquale Manfredi, 33, was held after police were tipped off he was a user and were given the false log in he was signing in with.

He was wanted for murder after blowing up a rival with a bazooka and they tracked him down through the Internet provider address as he surfed the web from his hideout in Isola Capo Rizzuto.

While in another incident earlier this year another mobster was caught after he posted on his Facebook site he was attending a biker's rally in France giving the exact venue and date.