One of Italy's most wanted criminals, Rocco Morabito, has arrived in Rome after being extradited from Brazil.
Known as the "Cocaine King of Mialno", the former 'Ndrangheta boss was arrested last May in Brazil, where he had been hiding, following an operation by local and Italian police. The 55-year-old will now be sentenced to 30 years in prison, after being found guilty of drug trafficking.
He spent years in South America, under a false identity, where he worked with other members of the Calabrian criminal organization.
Born in the town of Africo (Africo) and related to the infamous boss of 'Ndragheta, Giuseppe Morabito, Rocco quickly climbed the ladder in the hierarchy of the organization with a criminal network that exceeded the borders of Italy. He dominated the cocaine market in Milan, trafficking the narcotic into the city directly from South America.
From the interceptions of the Italian police, he is heard negotiating for the importation of more than 1 ton of cocaine from South America. Authorities then believe he fled to Brazil, where he lived under the false identity of Francisco Capeletto. From there, he settled in Uruguay, where he lived for 13 years in Punta del Este.

There, Morabito drove a modest car and came to the attention of the authorities only after organizing a lavish party for his daughter's birthday. When he registered at school under his real name, the police began to intercept him. And when, in September 2017, he left home after a fight with his wife, and settled in a hotel in Montevideo, the police arrested him. During the operation, 13 mobile phones and 150 photos for passports were seized, where Morabito was disguised in different ways.

In 2019, after spending two years behind bars, he escaped with 3 other prisoners through a hole in the prison terrace. After two years of searching, he was finally spotted in Joao Pessoa in 2021 where he was arrested. After a year, the Federal Supreme Court of Brazil approved the extradition to Italy.