Italian police on Monday arrested Pasqualle Condello, 57, one of Italy's most wanted bosses of the southern 'Ndrangheta Mafia, who has been on the run since the 1980s, the ANSA news agency reported.Condello had been sentenced to life in prison for a 1989 murder and has been considered since that time as the most important organised crime boss in Calabria. He was arrested at a house in the region's capital, Reggio di Calabria.Italian Interior Minister Giuliano Amato called it "a great day for Calabria and the fight against organised crime in Italy."Police arrested Pasquale Condello, 58; his nephew, Giandomenico Condello, 28; and son-in-law Giovanni Barilla, 30; and another unnamed person in a raid Monday evening.
More than 100 Italian police officials descended on an apartment in the southern Italian city of Reggio Calabria, finally arresting Condello, the reputed head of 'Ndrangheta, the Italian news agency, ANSA, reported Tuesday.Police officials said Condello was "cool and detached" during his arrest and said "I have nothing to do with your investigations, with gang wars nor with the charges for which you have issued nine arrest warrants against me."Officials said they believe Condello ran an extensive drug trafficking, extortion and racketeering ring that extended through much of Italy, racking up four life sentences in abstentia along the way, ANSA said.
A 2006 report from Italy's national crime agency said the 'Ndrangheta organization ran a cocaine operation in Europe that generated more than $50 billion per year.
Officials say the 'Ndrangheta organization is the most powerful mob organization in Italy, rivaling the Sicilian Cosa Nostra and Camorra in Naples.
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