Mafia suspect with Namibia business interests arrested

ONE of Italy’s most-wanted Mafia suspects, who has previously been living in Namibia, was captured in Venezuela and flown back to Italy under police guard on Saturday.

Vito Bigione (52) is accused of a key role in international drug trafficking. The Associated Press reported at the weekend that Bigione was flown to Milan’s Malpensa Airport on Saturday to face allegations that he was a link between the Sicilian Mafia and Colombian drug cartels.The police in Italy said an international police operation led to Bigione’s arrest on Thursday in Caracas, Venezuela, where he had recently moved to.Bigione lived for years in Namibia.In 2000, the High Court here ruled that he could not be extradited to Italy due to insufficient evidence.The Mafia suspect ran an upmarket restaurant near a Namibian seaside resort and has consistently denied the Italian allegations that he was part of the Mafia.He insisted that he was a fisherman, who had been doing business in Africa for the past 20 years, AP reports.Bigione had been sought on drug charges since 1995, but he avoided extradition from Africa, where he had been living.He has also denied allegations that he is currently holding a strategically important position inside the Mafia organisation ‘Cosa Nostra’.- NampaThe Associated Press reported at the weekend that Bigione was flown to Milan’s Malpensa Airport on Saturday to face allegations that he was a link between the Sicilian Mafia and Colombian drug cartels.The police in Italy said an international police operation led to Bigione’s arrest on Thursday in Caracas, Venezuela, where he had recently moved to.Bigione lived for years in Namibia.In 2000, the High Court here ruled that he could not be extradited to Italy due to insufficient evidence.The Mafia suspect ran an upmarket restaurant near a Namibian seaside resort and has consistently denied the Italian allegations that he was part of the Mafia.He insisted that he was a fisherman, who had been doing business in Africa for the past 20 years, AP reports.Bigione had been sought on drug charges since 1995, but he avoided extradition from Africa, where he had been living.He has also denied allegations that he is currently holding a strategically important position inside the Mafia organisation ‘Cosa Nostra’.- Nampa