An Italian mafia boss allegedly operating an international drugs shipping network has been detained in Colombia after being located via his pool table, according to local police.
¡Mesa de billar delató al nuevo ‘Padrino’ de la mafia italiana! En Medellín capturamos a uno de los narcotraficantes más buscados del mundo: el italiano Gustavo Nocella, alias ‘Ermes’, principal enlace de los Clanes Rinaldi-Formicola, Amato-Pagano y De Micco con la mafia… pic.twitter.com/QeNJz0ijuv
— General William René Salamanca Ramírez (@DirectorPolicia) October 21, 2024
Gustavo Nocella, also known as ‘Ermes’, was arrested in the town of Medellin after a six-month investigation, William Salamanca, director of the National Police, announced on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday.
Nocella, “one of the most wanted drug traffickers in the world,” is suspected of being the “main link” between South American and Italian mafia clans trafficking large shipments of drugs from Colombia to the Netherlands for further distribution across Europe, the police chief wrote.
Officials said they were able to track down Nocella due to his passion for pool. Local media reported that the alleged criminal kingpin changed luxury apartments every three months to avoid being caught. Police took their cue from a pool table that Nocella took with him when moving locations. They were able to trace the table and find Nocella’s most recent place of residence, allowing them to detain him.
The arrest was the result of a joint investigation known as Operation Minerva, conducted by the Colombian National Police, Italian Police, the UK authorities, and Europol. The 58-year-old was the subject of an Interpol Red Notice, issued by the anti-drug agency in Naples, and was wanted for criminal conspiracy and drug trafficking. The investigation established that he had settled in Colombia after fleeing Europe.
Colombia is the top coca cultivator in the world, producing 60% of the world’s cocaine, followed by Peru and Bolivia, according to the EU Drugs Agency.
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Cultivation of coca bush increased by 10% in Colombia last year, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The figure means that potential cocaine production rose by 53% in 2023 compared to the previous year, and has seen ten consecutive years of growth, UNODC said last week.