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CRIME

Mafia boss arrested in Costa del Sol post office

Police have arrested one of Italy's most wanted mafia crime bosses as he went to collect a money transfer on the Costa del Sol.

Published: 14 April 2015 11:47 CEST
Mafia boss arrested in Costa del Sol post office
Lucio Morrone was arrested in Benalmadena Photo: Guardia Civil

Lucio Morrone, 53, aka ‘Spalluzzella’, was detained on a European Arrest Warrant on Monday in a joint operation between the Civil Guard and Italian Carabinieri.

He fled Italy five years ago and had been living under an assumed name in the popular resort of Benalmadena in southern Spain.

Morrone appears on a list of 100 Most Wanted Italian fugitives and was wanted for crimes related to drug trafficking and "involvement in criminal mafia activity".

In a statement released by Spain’s Civil Guard he was described as "the head of a dangerous clan of the Neopolitan Camorra".

Morrone is thought to be the leader of the "Teste Matte" (Crazy Heads) criminal organization which ran illicit operations in Naples’ Spagnoli area.

The arrest came just days after another Italian crime boss was arrested just a few miles along the coast in San Pedro de Alcántara.

Carlo Leone, a member of the Naples’ Elia clan was involved in international drug trafficking.

Undersecretary of Defense Gioacchino Alfano praised Naples' carabinieri on the operation.

"Once again, legality and justice have prevailed over deceit and criminality," Alfano told Italy’s Ansa agency.

"For this umpteenth success I congratulate the Naples police and investigative teams, who have shown that they never give up," he said.

 

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CRIME

Dutch gang leader vanishes in Spain after accidental release

A top drug trafficker is on the run after accidentally being bailed from jail in Spain, officials said Tuesday, dodging a bid to extradite him to the Netherlands where his Mocro Maffia gang is based.

Published: 24 April 2024 09:23 CEST
Dutch gang leader vanishes in Spain after accidental release

Karim Bouyakhrichan was arrested in January in Marbella, an upmarket tourist resort on Spain’s southern coast, along with five other members of the Mocro Maffia gang.

They are suspected of having bought 172 properties in Spain worth over €50 million ($53.5 million) to launder their gains from drug trafficking.

But the following month a court in the southern city of Málaga decided to grant him provisional release with judicial supervision, against the wishes of public prosecutors and the Spanish government. Judicial sources said Tuesday his whereabouts are now unknown.

“It is worrying news,” Justice Félix Bolaños told a news conference following a weekly cabinet meeting when asked about the case.

“I can’t comment on any court decisions, but I do trust that the state security forces will bring this person to justice as soon as possible,” he added.

The Málaga court said in its ruling granting Bouyakhrichan provisional release that the risk that he would flee could be avoided “with other less burdensome security measures” than pre-trial detention.

It imposed bail of €50,000, took away his passport and ordered him to report to the authorities twice a month.

Dutch extradition bid

At the same time Spain’s top criminal court was processing a request for Bouyakhrichan’s extradition to the Netherlands, where he is wanted for large-scale drug trafficking.

But it postponed its extradition proceedings because the Málaga court intended to put Bouyakhrichan on trial first for money laundering, court sources told AFP.

When the Netherlands provided more information to back its extradition request, the top court summoned him to testify and when he failed to appear a fresh warrant for his arrest was issued.

Vincent Veenman, a spokesman at the Dutch public prosecutor’s office in The Hague, said it was “unknown” to them why Bouyakhrichan had not been detained for extradition.

“We are currently awaiting a decision on the extradition request,” he added.

“Our experience with the Spanish justice system is that this cooperation is generally good. Dozens of suspects are handed over every year.”

Bouyakhrichan’s brother Samir, another leading member of the Mocro Maffia, was murdered in 2014 near Marbella, sparking a reorganisation of organised crime groups in the region.

The Mocro Maffia made international headlines in 2022 after it emerged that Dutch Crown Princess Amalia had been placed under heavy protection in response to fears of an attack by the group.

Dutch media reported earlier last week that the 20-year-old heir to the Dutch throne studied in Madrid after being forced to ditch plans to live in student accommodation in Amsterdam because of the threats.

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