The Spanish police announced this Thursday that they had arrested Domenico Paviglianiti in Madrid.
He is one of the main leaders of the 'Ndrangheta, the powerful Calabrian mafia, and "one of Italy's most wanted fugitives".
Paviglianiti was arrested in broad daylight as he walked down a street in the Spanish capital, as shown in a video released by the police, as part of a joint operation with Italian riflemen.
Eccellente collaborazione investigativa tra #Carabinieri di Bologna, Polizia Spagnola - Udyco Central, Procura felsinea, Servizio di Cooperazione Internazionale di Polizia (ICAN e ENFAST): arrestato in Madrid latitante di 'ndrangheta, con pena di circa 12 anni. .com / UGzmFtaav3
- Arma dei Carabinieri (@_Carabinieri_) August 5, 2021
"The arrested man, considered one of Italy's most wanted fugitives, was arrested in possession of false Portuguese documents, six cell phones and nearly 6,000 euros in cash," police said in their report. communicated.
According to the Spanish police, Paviglianiti was sentenced in 2005 to 30 years in prison after being arrested in Spain in 1996 and then extradited to Italy in 1999. Accused in particular of a murder for which he was sentenced to 16 years in prison, he he has 11 years and 8 months to serve.
The "boss of bosses"
The mafioso managed to be freed in 2019, due to a legal defect, after spending more than 20 years behind bars.
But a new arrest warrant was issued against him in Italy after a court decision annulling his release.
Having left for Spain after his release, the police managed to track him down by locating part of his family in Barcelona, where he took refuge for a few months after his release before moving to Madrid.
He remained "in the opinion of investigators, one of the main persons responsible for organized crime in Calabria," according to the police statement.
Paviglianiti is nicknamed the “boss of the bosses” by the Italian media for his role in crimes committed in the 1980s and 1990s, notably during a clan war within the 'Ndrangheta.
In March, another sponsor of the 'Ndrangheta, identified by the Spanish Civil Guard by his initials GR alone, was arrested in Barcelona.
Based in Calabria in southern Italy, 'Ndrangheta is considered one of the richest and most powerful crime syndicates due to its control over much of the cocaine entering Europe. .
The 'Ndrangheta expanded its activities all over the world, becoming more formidable than the Sicilian Cosa Nostra.