Giuseppe Palermo has been sought with a red notice by Interpol, which has requested his arrest in 196 nations. A suspected top man for the Italian ‘Ndrangheta mafia in Latin America was arrested in Colombia by authorities. He is accused of coordinating cocaine shipments and operating illicit trafficking routes to Europe.
Police on Friday identified the suspect as Italian Giuseppe Palermo, also referred to as “Peppe”, who was wanted under an Interpol red notice, which ordered him to be arrested in 196 countries.
He was arrested on the streets of Colombia’s capital, Bogota, during a joint operation between Colombian, Italian and British authorities, as well as Europol, the European Union’s law enforcement agency, according to an official report.
Palermo is thought to be part of “one of the most closely connected cells” of the ‘Ndrangheta mafia, said Colombian police chief Carlos Fernando Triana. The ‘Ndrangheta, Italy’s most powerful, brutal and secretive criminal group, has been increasingly exercising its power abroad and is generally suspected of smuggling cocaine into Europe.
The suspect “not only directed the acquisition of huge shipments of cocaine in Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador, but also regulated the sea and land transport routes to get the drugs to the markets in Europe”, Triana added.
Illicit production of cocaine totalled 3,708 tonnes in 2023, a rise of almost 34% on the previous year, as it was prompted mostly by the growth of coca leaf farming in Colombia, the United Nations reported. The worldwide illegal drug trade, which encompasses cocaine, is valued at over $500bn a year.
