Italian Drug Lord Rocco Morabito Arrested in Brazil Years After Escaping Jail

Authorities apprehended the fugitive Italian drug lord Rocco Morabito in northeast Brazil on Monday. He escaped two years ago through the roof of a prison in Uruguay, where he was awaiting extradition to Italy.

Rocco Morabito is a top figure in 'Ndrangheta, a prominent Italian Mafia-type organized crime syndicate based in Calabria.

He was arrested with another Italian fugitive at a hotel room in the city of Joao Pessoa as a result of a joint investigation of Brazil's federal police with Italy, Daily Mail reported. The federal police said that the Italian police traveled to Brazil for the arrest.

In 2017, Rocco Morabito was arrested in Uruguay after decades on the run and was awaiting extradition to Italy for international drug trafficking charges.

Years later, the Brazilian police caught him, and he is now facing 30 years in prison. The Italian drug lord is dubbed as the "cocaine king of Milan."

The Italian Drug Lord

Rocco Morabito was one of Italy's most wanted when he was arrested in 2017. He had lived 23 years under a fake identity in the Uruguayan resort town of Punta del Este.

In 2019, Uruguay's interior ministry announced that the Italian drug lord and three other inmates had escaped through a hole in the roof of their prison in Montevideo. It prompted a widespread manhunt and caused the resignation of Uruguay's prison chief.

Since 1994, Rocco Morabito had been wanted by Italy. He was caught paying $8 million to import nearly a ton of cocaine. An international arrest warrant was issued in 1995 with hopes of pinning down the Italian drug lord and bringing him back to Italy to serve his sentence.

The Justice Ministry of Brazil said that 'Ndrangheta was considered one of the largest and most powerful criminal organizations globally, Toronto Sun reported.

Brazil has become a main player in the trans-Atlantic drug trade, with its gangs having associations with Italian, Dutch, and Balkan players to move loads of cocaine to Europe, which has a growing demand.

The 'Ndrangheta has reportedly surpassed the notoriety of Cosa Nostra to become the most powerful mafia group in Italy and one of the largest criminal gangs in the world.

'Ndrangheta is believed to run much of Europe's cocaine trade from Calabria in the southwest. It is also involved in arms trafficking, prostitution, and extortion.

The 'Ndrangheta

Italian and German police recently carried out a series of raids across Europe, resulting in the arrest of 31 individuals believed to be members of the 'Ndrangheta mafia, according to a DW report.

Around 800 police officers and tax officials in both countries had taken part in the large-scale operation against international drug trafficking and money laundering.

Europol said that at least several hundreds of thousands of euros have been confiscated, as well as weapons, cocaine, two luxury cars, and jewelry.

The Europol statement noted that there is an ongoing review of cash amounts seized while bank accounts have been frozen.

The Italian-led operation was dubbed as "Platinum-Dia" and was said to have been a huge impact on 'Ndrangheta, according to Italian investigators.

WATCH: Archive Footage of Rocco Morabito Being Detained in a Hotel Room - From Daily Mail