Former mafia boss shot dead on Grenoble motorway

Maldera is reported to have been a key figure in the so-called "Italo-Grenoblois" mafia group during the 1980s and 1990s, along with his brother Robert.

In 2004, the pair were found guilty of a series of offences linked to organised crime, though they were released the following year due to an administrative error, according to the French media.

However, this was not the first time Maldera had been convicted.

He had a rap sheet stretching back to the 1970s, according to French regional media outlet France 3.

But Maldera appeared to opt for a quieter life after his release from prison in the early 2000s, with AFP news agency reporting the authorities did not hear of him again until his shooting this week.

It is not clear if Maldera was still involved in criminal activity at the time of his death.

His brother Robert disappeared in 2015 at the age of 55.

He went missing after attending a meeting on the outskirts of Grenoble.

His car was discovered two months later in a parking lot nearby.

A source who had investigated the Maldera brothers told France 3 that Jean-Pierre had been the brain behind their schemes, while Robert had been the brawn.