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Facebook Photo with Wax Obama Gets Sicilian Drug Dealer Arrested

By Cynthia Hsu, Esq. on February 20, 2012 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

A Sicilian drug dealer was arrested in the U.K. after he was spotted in some unusual pictures. Michele Grosso, 27, took photos with a wax President Obama figure. The figure is known to be located at Madame Tussauds in London.

Grosso had been on the run for quite some time. In 2008, he fled his hometown of Taormina in an effort to evade arrest. Police, however, kept track of his Facebook page. Maybe he should have realized that uploading photos that hint at your location is not such a good idea.

He was also seen posing in photographs with famous landmarks around London. He even took a picture of himself at a restaurant where he waited tables, according to the Huffington Post.

Yes. A fugitive drug dealer updated his Facebook page with pictures that clearly indicated his whereabouts. Not only that, but he uploaded a photo that showed where he worked.

It's a strange move for someone who probably should keep a lower profile. After all, Grosso was essentially pointing police toward his location.

Though it is possible that Grosso truly believed that what he uploaded onto Facebook was private only to certain individuals.

Oh, how wrong he was. Maybe Grosso's capture can serve as a lesson to all of us. Never, ever post photos you aren't comfortable with on Facebook. You never really know if someone is snooping on you. Or if photos you think are private are accidentally public.

Grosso was captured with the cooperation of Interpol and Italian police. The Sicilian drug dealer was arrested and deported. The entire police operation was dubbed "Big Ben." All of this due to a little help from a wax President Obama photo. Who would have guessed?

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