Decade On The Run Ends For Fugitive Italian Mafia Boss In Spain

A fugitive Italian mafia boss in charge of an international drug empire was caught hiding in Spain and was sentenced to almost seven years in prison.

Giuseppe Refrigeri, 67, who is known as the leader of the Italian mafia organisation ‘Banda della Marranella’ has been wanted since 2011 and after years of investigation was finally caught and arrested on 28th February in the town of Estepona in the Spanish province of Malaga.

For years Refrigeri was hiding in the Spanish province of Malaga from where managed his business of international drug trafficking and was leading the criminal association that was importing rivers of cocaine into the Italian capital.

The investigation called ‘Hispania’ which began in 2018 revealed the complex criminal organization dedicated to the trafficking of cocaine, hashish and marijuana on the Spain-Italy axis and with a base in Malaga where Refrigeri was hiding and pulling the strings.

The court of Rome issued an ‘European arrest warrant’ for international drug trafficking and possession of false documents and Refrigeri was finally tracked down despite the numerous false documents he used to hide his identity and location.

The wanted criminal was arrested thanks to the collaboration between the Carabinieri of the Ostia Investigative Unit and the International Police Cooperation service.

According to the Court of Rome Refrigeri must serve six years and 11 months in prison.

Among the charges against him is also an attempt to import 325 kilogrammes (716 pounds) of hashish into Italy, which was unsuccessful because the couriers were caught and arrested in France.

Refrigeri is currently in police custody and after the repatriation formalities he will be transferred in Italy to be handed over to the authorities.