Spanish police arrest Calabrese mafia chief 'Don Mica' in Soria
Domenico Paviglianiti, leader of the criminal organisation 'Ndrangheta, was arrested in the city of Soria following a joint investigation lasting several months between Spanish and Italian authorities.
Spanish police arrest Calabrese mafia chief 'Don Mica' in Soria
In the city of Soria, located approximately 200 kilometres north-east of Madrid, Spanish police arrested Domenico Paviglianiti, aged 65, known by the nickname "Don Mica". According to the authorities, he is a leader of the criminal organisation 'Ndrangheta, based in the Italian region of Calabria.
The arrest was carried out following a joint investigation lasting several months between Spanish and Italian services. Italian prosecutors in Calabria identified him as the person to whom a European arrest warrant had been issued in 2022.
Paviglianiti is suspected in Italy of a series of serious offences, including violent crimes, drug trafficking and money laundering. He faces a prison sentence of 19 years.
A video published by police on the social network X shows him being led away in handcuffs without offering resistance. In the coming days, an extradition procedure to Italy will begin so that he can serve his sentence there, according to an announcement by the Calabria prosecutor's office.
According to Spanish media, Paviglianiti is one of the most wanted Italian fugitives. He was first arrested in 1996 in Spain, extradited to Italy in 1999 and spent approximately twenty years in prison. He was released due to an error in the calculation of his sentence duration. He was arrested again in Madrid in 2021, but was released after completing his sentence.
In Soria, according to the newspaper El Mundo, he lived a quiet life under the protection of personal bodyguards.
The organisation 'Ndrangheta is considered one of the most powerful mafia groups in the world. In the bloody clan war during the 1980s and early 1990s, approximately 700 people died.
Source: 24sata