Rocco Morabito: 'King of Cocaine' for 'Ndrangheta Mafia to Serve Sentence in Italy After Being Extradited From Brazil

Rocco Morabito, the boss of the powerful 'Ndrangheta mafia in Italy, arrived in Rome on Wednesday after being extradited from Brazil.

Morabito, the second most wanted fugitive in Italy, is known as the "king of cocaine." According to a Daily Mail report, Morabito was arrested in Brazil in May 2021 and will now serve a 30-year prison sentence for various drug charges.

Nicola Morra, head of parliament's anti-mafia commission, wrote in a Facebook post that Morabito was a major architect in the internationalization of the crime gangs and became the "king of cocaine brokers."

The interior ministry noted that the 56-year-old 'Ndrangheta mafia boss had been included in its "special search programme" for escaped criminals. Investigators said Rocco Morabito was the point person for the 'Ndrangheta in South America.

Rocco Morabito: The Arrest of Italy's 'Ndrangheta Mafia Boss in Brazil

In May 2021, Brazil's federal police arrested Rocco Morabito in a hotel room in the northeastern coastal city of João Pessoa with two other foreigners, according to Brazil's Justice Ministry statement.

Toronto Sun reported that one of the foreigners was another Italian fugitive but did not provide additional information. Morabito's arrest came four years after he had managed to escape from jail in Uruguay.

He was one of Italy's most wanted when he was arrested in Uruguay in 2017. Morabito 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 'Ndrangheta Mafia in Italy

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

'Ndrangheta has shadowed the Sicilian mafia in power and scope, extending its operations throughout much of Europe as it launders cocaine by infiltrating or buying up legitimate businesses such as restaurants and hotels, according to an investigation.

According to The Guardian, the mafia was built around strong family tries and has been less hurt by devastating betrayals of crime clan loyalties.

'Ndrangheta was found to have had strong ties with Colombia's Urabeños dating back to the 1990s when the group's future leaders were still part of Colombia's paramilitary United Self-Defense Forces.

According to InsightCrime, it was an alliance that would help both organized crime groups to dominate the trans-Atlantic cocaine trade.

Dairo Antonio Usuga, alias "Otoniel," was the known leader of Urabeños. He was also captured and extradited to the United States on May 5. He is being held in a New York City prison.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Mafia Boss Rocco Morabito Extradited From Brazil - From INTERPOL