Italy police arrest top Camorra mafia boss

Iovine has been found guilty in absentia and faces life in prison

Italian police have arrested a fugitive mafia boss who had been on the run for 14 years.

Officials said that Antonio Iovine, a senior figure in the Naples-based Camorra crime syndicate, was one of Italy's most wanted men.

The 46-year-old was arrested in a small villa in Casal di Principe, the gang's heartland north of Naples.

He is reported to have been discovered hiding in a wall cavity, and tried to jump off a balcony to evade arrest.

"It's a big success. A big blow [for the Camorra]," Naples police chief Santi Giuffre said.

He said his force had been preparing for the arrest of Iovine, considered a leader of the Casalesi clan, for some time.

Iovine was sentenced to life in prison in absentia earlier this year along with 15 other Camorra bosses, one of whom is still on the run.

They were found guilty of multiple counts, including murder and extortion.

Italy's Interior Minister Roberto Maroni called it a "great day for the fight against the mafia".