Italian mafia member arrested at Hague restaurant

The police arrested a 57-year-old Italian man in The Hague on Monday based on a European arrest warrant. He is wanted for drug trafficking and membership to a criminal organization, the police said. Newspaper AD identifies the suspect as Alfredo M., allegedly affiliated with the Camorra crime syndicate in Naples.

The Italian authorities believes that M. formed part of an international network that smuggled cocaine and hashish from Spain and the Netherlands to Italy, according to AD. The gang had a foothold in a restaurant in The Hague, which was run by two brothers from Naples.

In 2016 the Italian police arrested 15 people in connection with this drug trafficking network. Alfredo M. was the only one on the list of suspects who evaded captivity.

Over the past years, M. worked as a chef in various Italian restaurants in The Hague, AD reports based on info from his social media. He was arrested in a Hague restaurant on Monday.

The arrest was made as part of the so-called Anti-Mafia Facility - a collaboration between the Dutch- and Italian police focused on combating Italian organized crime in the Netherlands.

The Camorra crime syndicate is the oldest mafia organization in Italy. It consists of around 200 family clans, which often operate independently of each other, according to AD.