COSENZA - Francesco Strangio, a fugitive of the Calabrian organised crime group 'Ndrangheta, was arrested Thursday night by the police force of Reggio Calabria and Cosenza. He was hiding in a flat on the top floor of a condominium in Rose, a small town in the Cosentino area.

 Strangio now faces a sentence of 14 years in prison for international drug trafficking.

 Strangio had been a fugitive for over a year, since Jan. 17, 2018. Since then, he had disappeared and thanks to a network of supporters, who prosecutors Giovanni Bombardieri and Francesco Tedesco are investigating, had managed to secure the availability of an attic on the third floor of a building.

 Almost 8,000 euros in cash, traces of cocaine on furniture, a passport and several documents held by third parties were found in the apartment. The Anti-Mafia District Directorate (DDA) is now investigating this evidence. Mobile phones that likely served to continue his activity as a trafficker were also recovered.

 Investigations coordinated by the DDA of Reggio Calabria and Milan revealed that Strangio was a drug broker able to negotiate and manage the importation of cocaine from South America. The loads were hidden inside containers that were then dumped in Northern European ports such as Antwerp and Hamburg.

 Interior Minister Matteo Salvini expressed satisfaction at the success of Strangio’s capture. “Thanks to the police, who every day make us proud of them. The arrest of this criminal is confirmation. We will not stop here” he said.

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