Roberto Pannunzi

Roberto Pannunzi, nicknamed Bébé (baby)^[1] is an Italian,^[2] and was the alleged boss of the Calabrian mafia gang, 'Ndrangheta, but supplied Cosa Nostra.^[3][4] He has been described as "Europe's most wanted drugs trafficker",^[5] and the "biggest cocaine trafficker in the world", being compared to the Colombian Pablo Escobar.^[6][7] He is currently aged 65 or 67.^[3][8]

Prison escapes

In 1999 Pannunzi escaped from a private clinic, and repeated the escape in 2010 from a clinic located in Rome.^[5][6]

Cocaine trade

Pannunzi traded cocaine to rival families, which was hailed as a first by Roberto Saviano, a journalist: "He collected money from the various families, often rival families.^[6] He is reported to have traded around two tonnes of cocaine per month,^[5][9] and "he organises purchases of 300,000 kilograms at a time".^[3] According to Nicola Gratteri, the deputy chief prosecutor in Reggio Calabria, Pannunzi is "the only one who can sell both to the 'Ndrangheta and to Cosa Nostra. He is definitely the most powerful drug broker in the world".^[10] Gratteri also said that "he traveled for years with a suitcase full of money" in an attempt to bribe potential captors.^[11]

2013 capture

On the 5 July 2013,^[6] Pannunzi was captured in a shopping mall in Bogota, in a joint operation between the Colombian police and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).^[4][12] He was deported the next day.^[4][13] When he was detained, he possessed a fake Venezuelan identity card,^[4] under the name "Silvano Martino".^[3][14] Gratteri explained why he was deported rather than extradited: "an extradition order would have taken several months".^[4]

Prison time

Pannunzi has a sixteen and a half year prison sentence to serve in Italy.^[6] Prosecutors have said that he is responsible for establishing the illicit cocaine trade between Colombia and Italy.^[5]

References