Giuseppe Cortese described as a prominent member of the Calabrian Mafia also known as the Ndrangheta has been arrested in France.

According to reports, the 53-year-old alleged mobster was a financial specialist that played a key role in helping the Calabrian’s control the trafficking of cocaine into Europe. The BNRF of the judicial police carried out the low key operation that led to Cortese’s arrest. Authorities in France were contacted by the Italian’s and made aware that a wanted man was in the region of Macon. Arrest warrants were issued with the utmost discretion during early morning hours to prevent any potential leaks. He was taken into custody without incident as he exited his a hotel in Mâcon in Saône-et-Loire in route to his Porsche911.

He is being held in France until he can be transported back to Italy according to the Le Parisien report. The arrest of Giuseppe Cortese was aided by a European Arrest Warrant targeting over 30 individuals linked to the importation of Colombian cocaine into Europe. The Ndrangheta is believed to have surpassed the Neapolitan and Sicilian mafia to become Italy’s most powerful mafia organization. They are based out of Calabria but have become influential in several parts of the world including Europe, Australia, and Canada in recent years. It is currently believed to be the only Mafia with a presence on all continents.

Authorities continue to target the organized crime families financing as part of an effort to dismantle them. They continue to bring in enormous amounts of illegal proceeds some of which comes from their control over the majority of Europe’s cocaine trade. Italy is not alone in their fight against the Ndrangheta as other countries including Europe have begun to target Calabrian clans and interests.

This article was originally posted here