Italian police have captured the top boss of the powerful 'ndrangheta organised crime syndicate.
Pasquale Condello (57), a fugitive for 20 years, was arrested in an apartment in the centre of Reggio Calabria, the regional capital of Calabria. There was a pistol in the residence, but he offered no resistance, police said.
"It is the latest, extraordinary operation against organised crime," interior minister Giuliano Amato said. "Pasquale Condello was the No 1 boss of the 'ndrangheta."
Condello was known as "the supreme one" for his role at the top of the crime syndicate. Before his capture, Condello had been second-ranked on the police list of Italy's most dangerous fugitives, the Apcom news agency reported.
Anti-Mafia prosecutor Alberto Cisterna said the Condello crime clan was one of the most "ferocious" 'ndrangheta families and that Condello had received several life prison terms for a series of crimes.
The 'ndrangheta in recent years has eclipsed the Sicilian Mafia in power and reach, especially in running cocaine trafficking between Colombia and Europe, investigators have said.
While the 'ndrangheta increased its power, the Sicilian mob suffered the arrest of several top bosses in the past few years.
AP