Rocco Morabito, 56, known as the “king of cocaine” and considered one of the bosses of the ‘Ndrangheta, the powerful Calabrian mafia, arrived in Italy this Wednesday (6) after being extradited by Brazil. He will have to serve a sentence of 30 years in prison for criminal association, drug trafficking and other serious crimes.
Morabito had been wanted since 1995 and was arrested in May of last year in João Pessoa (PB). He was one of the main references for South American drug cartels, and investigators followed his tracks across the continent in search of his whereabouts.
The “king of cocaine” landed at Rome-Ciampino airport escorted by Italian police officers. Soon after, he was transferred to a prison. Upon the mobster’s arrival in Italy, Interpol released a statement stating that he was one of the most wanted fugitives in the world.
“[A extradição] sends a strong message: it shows that our police network is more powerful than that created by mafia groups,” said Giovanni Bombardieri, a prosecutor working against the mafia in the city of Régio de Calabria.
Sentenced in absentia to 28 years in prison, which was later extended to 30 years, he was arrested along with another member of the ‘Ndrangheta, Vincenzo Pasquino. Earlier, Morabito was captured in 2017 in Montevideo, Uruguay, after living for 13 years with a false ID in Punta del Este, where he had a mansion. There, he had a Brazilian passport and presented himself as a great businessman in the soy trade.
The Uruguayan justice approved his extradition to Italy in 2018, but in June of the following year, Morabito carried out a notorious escape from the roof of the central prison in Montevideo along with three other foreigners. He was on the run until he was arrested last year in João Pessoa.
Morabito was born in Africo, Calabria, and was one of the most important leaders of the “Africo Nuovo” clan. He is accused of having introduced into Italy around 592 kilos of cocaine in 1992 and 630 kilos the following year. It was at this time that he received the nickname “King of Cocaine” for directing the distribution of the drug in Europe from Milan.
The mobster was also called by the nickname “U Tamunga”, for driving through the roads of Calabria a Dkw Munga, a German military vehicle considered almost indestructible.
The arrest of Morabito in Paraíba was carried out by the Federal Police in partnership with Abin (Brazilian Intelligence Agency) and the Italian police. The International Police Cooperation Service also participated in the investigation together with the Central Office of the International Criminal Police Organization in Brazil.
The ‘Ndrangheta is one of the largest criminal organizations in the world and has frequently appeared in Federal Police investigations into drug trafficking. According to the PF, there is a record of Morabito’s involvement in drug trafficking between Brazil and Europe since the 1990s.
