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Jean-Pierre Maldera, a 71-year-old former mafia boss, was shot dead on the A41 motorway near Grenoble in south-eastern France.

The attack took place on Wednesday morning as he was pursued in his car before being fatally shot.

Maldera, described by French media as a "godfather" of the local mafia in the 1980s, reportedly abandoned his BMW and attempted to flee on foot across the motorway, BBC reports.

However, the attackers, believed to be three or four in number, chased him down and killed him.

The perpetrators fled the scene, and their stolen Renault Megane was later found burnt out in a Grenoble parking lot. Local media reported that a military-grade weapon, possibly a Kalashnikov rifle, was used in the execution.

Maldera was a central figure in the "Italo-Grenoblois" mafia group during the 1980s and 1990s, alongside his younger brother, Robert Maldera.

In 2004, both were convicted of crimes linked to organised crime, though they were released in 2005 due to an administrative error.

His criminal history reportedly spanned decades, dating back to the 1970s. However, after his release from prison in the early 2000s, authorities did not hear of him again until his murder.

It remains unclear whether he was still engaged in criminal activities at the time of his death.

The killing comes a decade after the mysterious disappearance of his brother Robert in 2015. Known as "the madman" in Grenoble's underworld, Robert vanished after a meeting on the city's outskirts. His car was discovered two months later in a nearby parking lot.

A source who investigated the Maldera brothers told France 3 that Jean-Pierre was the mastermind behind their operations, while Robert provided the muscle.

iwaeda:
https://saharareporters.com/2025/03/12/former-mafia-boss-shot-dead-motorway-southeastern-france

iwaeda:
https://saharareporters.com/2025/03/12/former-mafia-boss-shot-dead-motorway-southeastern-france