Rocco Morabito a boss in the Calabrian Mafia also known as the Ndrangheta is on the run after escaping from a prison in Uruguay.

The 52-year-old mobster was arrested in Uruguay back in 2017 after being on the run for more than a decade. Morabito was dubbed in the media as the “Cocaine King of Milan” before he was finally captured. According to reports, he was awaiting extradition to Italy where he has been wanted since 1995. Morabito apparently escaped with three other inmates and he is once again on the lam. He has already proven to be able to elude authorities for an extended period of time so if he finds a way to escape the area and goes back into hiding it could take some time to apprehend him again.

“Rocco Morabito”

The elusive mafiosi had been living in a resort town near Montevideo in Uruguay for over a decade before police finally caught up with him. Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said he would “keep hunting Morabito, wherever he is, to put him in jail as he deserves”. He is facing multiple mafia related charges including drug trafficking back in Italy and if extradited would have been facing an extended prison sentence.

The Ndrangeta now controls approximately 80% of the European cocaine trade from operations in Southern Italy. The mafia organization is now the most powerful in Italy surpassing the Sicilian Mafia. Rocco Morabito is believed to have been a key player in the Italian Mafia for several years and is an extremely high-value target for authorities. The manhunt is ongoing and he is believed to currently be somewhere in South America.

With the Ndrangeta having such a strong presence around the world he would seemingly still have access to money and potential safe houses in several countries.

This article was originally posted here