Italian mobster arrested in Amsterdam

A fugitive member of the Italian mafia was arrested on Waterlooplein in Amsterdam on September 7th. The man involved is Gioacchino B., according to newspaper AD. He's been involved in drug trafficking in the Netherlands for years.

The 33-year-old man is wanted by the Italian authorities in connection with membership of the ‘Ndrangheta, a powerful branch of the mafia in South Italy, according to the newspaper. He is also wanted for drug trafficking.

Over the summer, the Amsterdam police received information that the Italian man may be hiding in Amsterdam. An investigative team from the Regional Detective Service was given the case, and the team quickly located B. in a home on Valkenburgstraat. The police placed the house under surveillance and two Carabinieri detectives were flown in from Italy to provide information and witness a possible arrest.

On September 7th, B. was seen leaving the house and the police decided to act. They surrounded him on Waterlooplein and arrested him.

This arrest is the first success of the Dutch police's special anti-mafia team. B. is currently in custody pending a decision on his extradition to Italy.

Gioacchino B. is the cousin of Antonio Ascone, a clan leader from Rosario, according to AD. B. was also arrested in the Netherlands in 2006, as part of a major drug investigation. He formed part of a network that smuggled cocaine from South America through the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany to northern Italy. The Ascone-clan is known to do business with the Strangio-Nitra clan from San Luca, known for killing six people in Duisburg. The shooting, which happened in front of an Italian restaurant in the German city, made Europe realize for the first time that the mafia is active outside Italy, according to the newspaper.