Arrested in Colombia of 'ndrangheta boss Giuseppe Palermo

Colombian authorities announced that they have captured an alleged Italian 'ndrangheta boss in Latin America, who is accused of overseeing cocaine trafficking and operating illegal routes to Europe. The suspect has been identified by Colombian police as Giuseppe Palermo known as 'Peppe'.

An Interpol international arrest warrant was pending on him, requiring his arrest in 196 countries. He was arrested on the street in the Colombian capital Bogotá as part of a coordinated operation between Colombian, Italian and British authorities, as well as Europol. According to Colombian President Gustavo Petro, Giuseppe Palermo was the main 'ndrangheta boss delegate for Latin America and the main person responsible for cocaine trafficking from South America.

The arrest took place on 11 July and, on their X accounts, Colombian police chief Carlos Fernando Triana and Colombia's president Gustavo Petro relaunched a Policia Nacional video showing it. "Twenty-one members of the 'ndrangheta have been captured in Europe and the operation ended in Colombia with the capture of Giuseppe Palermo aka 'Peppe', the main head of cocaine trafficking from South America," Petro reported, explaining that a "red alert from Interpol-Italy was hanging over the boss as part of the mega-operation 'Petri' and the 'Ican' project against the 'ndrangheta'". Triana says that, with the arrest of Giuseppe Palermo, 'a hard blow has been dealt to international drug trafficking' and that this 'certifies Colombia's commitment to the fight against this scourge and strikes at the heart of the world drug trade'.