The man from Calabria’s ‘Ndrangheta mafia was arrested on Friday in Wetzikon, around 30 kilometres (20 miles) east of Zurich, the cantonal police told AFP, without giving his identity.
He was detained on the basis of an Italian arrest warrant, Switzerland’s Federal Office of Justice said. He is now in custody and Italy has until February 10 to make a formal extradition request, the office added. Switzerland’s domestic news agency Keystone-ATS said the warrant was issued in January 2022 by prosecutors in the Calabrian capital Catanzaro.
The man was reportedly linked in May 2022 to an investigation into international drug trafficking. Calabria is one of the poorest regions in Italy and the ‘Ndrangheta is the most powerful and richest Italian mafia, thanks in particular to its strong grip on cocaine trafficking in Europe.
