One of the most influential mafia bosses in Sicily, Aldo Gionta, 42, was apprehended by the police in Pozzallo yesterday evening as he was boarding a catamaran to escape to Malta, Italian media reported.

He was accompanied by a man and two women. Mr Gionta was arrested by plain clothes policemen as the tickets were being checked just after 8pm.

He has now been transferred to the prison of Ragusa.

Mr Gionta has been on the wanted list since June last year.

It is not known whether Mr Gionta was planning to stay in Malta or if he was heading to north Africa.

At the time of his arrest he had a false identity card and €1,000 in his pocket, according to La Stampa, a Sicilian newspaper.

Mr Gionta was known for using disguises, including dressing up like a woman, to evade the police during his frequent movements from one place to another.

He was wanted for his links to a powerful mafia clan set up by his father Valentino Gionta, in Torre Anunziata, Naples.