Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — Jean-Pierre Maldera, a former French mafia boss, was fatally shot on a highway near Grenoble in southeastern France. Authorities have launched an investigation into the killing.
French media described Maldera as the “godfather” of the Franco-Italian mafia during the 1980s. According to a BBC report on Thursday, he was chased while driving on the A41 highway and was shot from another vehicle while in motion.
The 71-year-old died from his injuries following the attack, according to the civil defense and regional prosecutor’s office. The attackers fled the scene, abandoning a stolen Renault Megane, which was later discovered in a parking lot in Grenoble.
A Violent End to a Notorious Criminal Legacy
According to Le Dauphine Libere, Jean-Pierre Maldera abandoned his BMW and attempted to flee on foot, running across the highway.
Local media reported that He was pursued and killed by assailants in an attack involving three or four armed men. The attackers were allegedly armed with military-grade weapons, including Kalashnikov rifles.
Jean-Pierre Maldera’s murder comes a decade after the disappearance of his younger brother, Robert Maldera, another infamous mafia in France nicknamed “the madman” within Grenoble’s criminal underworld. The two together becomes central figures in the 1980s known as the “Maldera Clan”
A Criminal Past Spanning Decades
During the 1980s and 1990s, Jean-Pierre Maldera was a key figure in the “Italo-Grenoblois” mafia alongside his brother Robert. According to BBC, a source familiar with the Maldera brothers’ operations stated that Jean-Pierre was the mastermind behind their schemes, while Robert served as the enforcer.
In 2004, both were convicted of multiple offenses linked to organized crime. However, they were released the following year due to an administrative error, according to French media.
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Jean-Pierre Maldera had a long history of criminal activity dating back to the 1970s, according to France 3. However, after being released from prison in the early 2000s, he appeared to have stepped away from the criminal underworld.
Meanwhile, His brother Robert vanished in 2015 at the age of 55 after attending a meeting on the outskirts of Grenoble. His car was found two months later in a nearby parking lot.
According to AFP, authorities had not heard from him in years until his assassination this week. However, it remains unclear whether Maldera was still involved in organized crime at the time of his death.
(Raidi/Agung)
