A
BAG
of clothes
containing DNA linked to Madeleine McCann
has been found dumped by a road in Portugal.
The
white carrier bag
was
discovered in a layby two weeks ago near
Faro airport, the News of the World can
reveal.
Maddie's
parents Kate and Gerry McCann have learned
the bag contained a
blue
fleece jacket
and a pair of
adult
jeans
with traces of DNA that contained "moderate"
links to the missing four-year-old.
There was
also a
SHOWER CURTAIN
inside.
News of
the find came as it emerged police hunting
for the youngster have asked the Mafia to
help.
Crime
godfathers in Morocco-where there have been
several alleged sightings of Maddie-have
been told cops will scale back drug busts if
they do.
Meanwhile,
the bag, found by a passer-by, was sent to a
UK lab in Birmingham for forensic tests.
A leaked
report showed experts concluded the clothes
contained bodily fluid and traces of hair
that could have come from Maddie.
Skin
Other
items recovered from the bag included a
white flannel,
a green elastic band,
a
light
green child's T-shirt with
a
green flower
on the front
and a
pink
and
blue
pencil case
with a pink
heart motif.
A source
said: "The bag could be crucial. The DNA
isn't an exact match to Maddie's, but it
does link.
"It is the
first clue found outside the apartment
complex and could provide a trail."
The
report-which was handed to detectives ten
days ago-was obtained by the News of the
World from Portuguese police sources.
The jeans
contained more than 60 different stains.
The report
concluded: "The blue fleece and jeans were
found to contain traces of congealed skin
and hair.
"They were
found to contain DNA characteristics that
could be attributed to Madeleine McCann." No
traces of Maddie's DNA were found on any of
the other items.
The fresh
clues will give Kate and Gerry, both 39,
renewed hope of finding their daughter alive
six months after she disappeared. Last night
a friend of the McCanns said: "It
potentially suggests that someone has taken
her then disposed of the clothing.
"They have
done it near Faro which could imply they
have gone in the direction of the airport.
It backs up the idea she was abducted."
Last
Sunday the News of the World revealed that
the crack Spanish detective agency hired by
the McCanns, Metodo 3, are convinced the
youngster was snatched to order then
smuggled from Portugal to Morocco.
Last night
it looked like Mafia bosses will AGREE to
use their underworld connections in the hunt
for Maddie.
Mob bosses
who supply millions of pounds of cannabis
around the world effectively control vast
areas of the North African country. The
authorities believe Maddie may be hidden in
the mountainous Rif region and that the
Mafia there provide the best hope of finding
her.
A source
close to the Moroccan security services told
us: "The gangs can put the word out and will
be able to find out through the underworld
network connecting every city, town and
remote village.
"When they
want to find out information, they can."
Maddie
disappeared from her family's holiday
apartment in Portuguese resort Praia da Luz
on May 3, just days before her fourth
birthday.
