Rocco Morabito: ‘Most wanted’ mafia cocaine king extradited to Italy after 27 years on the run

The 55-year-old, who is a leading member of the N’Drangheta, a mafia network in the southern region of Calabria, was one of the most wanted criminals in the world.

The criminal organisation, which makes approximately €40 billion per year, started out by intimidating vulnerable people and collecting protection money before moving on to kidnappings and eventually international cocaine trafficking.

In 1994, Italian authorities sentenced Morabito to 30 years in prison after the gang transported 600 kilograms of cocaine between Brazil and Italy.

The cunning cartel kingpin then fled.

In 2017, Italian police tracked him down in Uruguay, but whilst awaiting extradition he escaped from prison in 2019 through a hole in the roof of the detention centre.

In March 2021, Interpol tracked him down again in Brazil.

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When he was arrested, the mob boss was at a holiday resort lounging on a beach in the sun.

In the 1990s he was known as the cocaine king of Milan, where he made millions from drug trafficking.

He was often seen wearing expensive suits, surrounded by bodyguards and allegedly carrying suitcases full of cash.