Italy's most wanted drug trafficker arrested in Colombia

Italy's most wanted drug trafficker arrested in Colombia
Sat Jul 6, 2013 10:54am EDT

ROME (Reuters) - A suspected Italian mafia boss described as Europe's most wanted drug trafficker and the world's biggest cocaine importer has been arrested in Colombia, the government there said on Saturday.

Roberto Pannunzi, compared to the late Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar by Colombian authorities, was caught in a Bogota shopping centre carrying a false Venezuelan identity card, the Defense Ministry announced on Twitter.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) worked with Colombian police to find and arrest Pannunzi, the ministry said.

Pannunzi is linked to the powerful Calabrian 'Ndrangheta, a crime syndicate closely associated with Colombian drug cartels. Authorities accuse him of importing two tons of cocaine into Europe every month.

Calabria-based prosecutor Nicola Gratteri told Italian daily Corriere della Sera that Pannunzi was "the biggest importer of cocaine in the world".

More:
http://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCABRE96508K20130706?rpc=401&feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&rpc=401

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Roberto Pannunzi[/center]