In Madrid, an Italian was detained, who turned out to be the leader of one of the richest criminal organizations in the world.
This was announced on Thursday by the police in Spain and Italy, writes AP.
Italian carabinieri has identified the detained 60-year-old Domenico Paviglianiti, leader of the Calabria-based Ndrangheta crime syndicate.
According to a statement from the Spanish National Police, Pavillaniti was arrested during a joint operation with the Carabinieri. Italian prosecutors said the arrest took place on Tuesday.
During his arrest, Pavillaniti had fake Portuguese identity documents, six mobile phones, and 6,000 euros in cash.
Police believe Pavillaniti is the head of the Ndrangheta clan, which operates worldwide from its base in three villages in the Italian region of Calabria.
In January, Pavillianiti was sentenced in absentia to 11 years, eight months, and 15 days in prison for a string of crimes, including murder and complicity in drug-related crimes.
He was previously sentenced in Italy to life imprisonment, later reduced to 30 years, for a series of murders and human trafficking crimes since the 1980s. But he was fired in October 2019 due to errors in calculating his sentence, prosecutors said.
Pavillaniti fled to Spain, where he allegedly enjoyed the help and protection of his “colleagues” from the drug business.
The Ndrangheta crime syndicate began to gain strength after the Sicilian mafia fell into decay.
