‘Ndrangheta “boss of the bosses” arrested after two years on the run

Domenico Paviglianiti, the alleged “boss of the bosses” of the ‘Ndrangheta, one of Italy’s most wanted fugitives, was arrested on the 10th August in Madrid. The 60-year-old mafioso had been on the run for two years, and his arrest was the result of a joint operation between the Italian carabinieri and Spanish police.

The police apprehended Paviglianiti as he left his house on Tuesday. He was found to be carrying six mobile phones, nearly €6,000 in cash and fake Portuguese documentation.

This was the second time that Domenico Paviglianiti was arrested in Spain. The first arrest was in 1996, where he was taken into custody to answer for crimes committed in the 1980s and 1990s, including murder and drug trafficking. After being extradited to Italy he was found guilty and given a life sentence. However, he was released in October 2019 due to a miscalculation in his sentencing, and he immediately fled the country.

In January 2021 Paviglianiti was tried in absentia and found guilty of murder and criminal association with the aim of drug trafficking. He was sentenced to a further, concurrent sentence of 11 years, eight months and 15 days in prison.

The ‘Ndrangheta imports cocaine from South America and marijuana from North Africa, subsequently distributing them throughout Europe.

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