Italian police catch mob boss after 10-year hunt

Italian police have captured a mob boss who had been on the run for about a decade and was on the country’s list of 30 most wanted fugitives.

Gregorio Bellocco was picked up in a pre-dawn raid today in the southern area of Reggio Calabria, home to the ’ndgrangheta crime syndicate.

Investigators say Bellocco is a top member of the ’ndgrangheta, and he has to serve time for several convictions, including a life sentence for murder.

Top Carabinieri official Giampaolo Ganzer said police had been hunting Bellocco for a long time. “He ruled from his territory, moving from tunnels and bunkers,” he said.

The ’ndrangheta crime syndicate is eclipsing the Sicilian Mafia, Italian officials say, and has acquired a dominant position in international drug trafficking.