Fugitive ’Ndrangheta boss extradited from Spain to Italy after four year manhunt

Rome-- Italy has extradited one of Calabria’s most wanted mafia figures from Spain, marking the end of a four year international manhunt and returning an alleged senior ’Ndrangheta boss to serve more than 19 years in prison.

Domenico Paviglianiti, believed by investigators to be a leading figure of the powerful Paviglianiti clan, arrived at Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci Airport in Fiumicino on Friday under tight security after Spanish judicial authorities approved his surrender under a European Arrest Warrant.

The warrant was issued by prosecutors in Bologna to enforce cumulative prison sentences exceeding 19 years for mafia association, murder and firearms offences.

Paviglianiti had been a fugitive since 2022 before his arrest on 26 June in the Spanish city of Soria, around 200 kilometres north west of Madrid. He was detained outside a restaurant in a joint operation between Spain’s Policía Nacional and the Guardia di Finanza’s organised crime investigation unit in Reggio Calabria.

Italian authorities said the breakthrough followed months of surveillance and the monitoring of individuals within the fugitive’s close circle, highlighting the extensive judicial and police cooperation between Italy and Spain.

The transfer to Italy was coordinated by Interpol’s I Can programme, the international initiative dedicated to combating the global reach of the ’Ndrangheta. Officers took custody of Paviglianiti at Madrid Barajas Airport before escorting him to Rome.

Regarded as a historic figure in the Calabrian mafia, Paviglianiti is alleged to have played a prominent role in the Second ’Ndrangheta War between 1985 and 1991, when rival clans fought a bloody conflict that reshaped the balance of power within the organisation.

His return to Italy represents another significant blow to the ’Ndrangheta, whose criminal networks continue to operate across Europe despite sustained efforts by law enforcement agencies to dismantle 

PS