Dutch fugitive tied to Italian mafia arrested in Guyana

A Dutch fugitive allegedly tied to the Italian mafia clan ‘Ndrangheta has been arrested in Guyana. Vitesh G. (50) has been on the Interpol wanted list since November 2019 for “criminal conspiracy” and international drug trafficking, De Telegraaf reports.

The local police arrested G. at a popular nightclub on Main Street in the capital, Georgetown, where he has been living and running a boutique. The man is suspected of being a member of ‘Ndrangheta and arranging large cocaine shipments for the mafia clan.

According to the local authorities, ‘Ndrangheta smuggled shipments of up to 200 kilograms of cocaine from Brazil, Guyana, and Colombia through the country to Rotterdam and Antwerp. G. was wanted for his alleged involvement in these operations between January 2015 and June 2018. Interpol put him on the wanted list on 12 November 2019.

The authorities are currently investigating whether G. can be extradited.

The Dutch Public Prosecution Service (OM) described ‘Ndrangheta as an “aggressive, mafia-like criminal organization” in 2018 when it announced its participation in an international cooperation against the organization. The OM called ‘Ndrangheta “one of the most powerful criminal networks in the world that controls a large part of the European cocaine trade, in combination with systematic money laundering, bribery, and violent crimes.”