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A fugitive from Italy’s most powerful organised crime group has been arrested in Switzerland, authorities said Wednesday.
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.
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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.
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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.
Rwanda has launched international arbitration proceedings against the United Kingdom, accusing London of breaching financial obligations tied to the now-cancelled asylum partnership scrapped by Prime Minister Keir Starmer last year.
The Rwandan government confirmed on Tuesday that it had submitted a formal notice to the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, arguing that Britain failed to honor agreed payments under the migration deal signed before Starmer took office.
The legal challenge escalates tensions between the two countries and could have financial and diplomatic consequences for the UK’s migration policy reset under the Labour government. It also marks a rare move by Rwanda to pursue formal arbitration against a major Western partner over a terminated treaty.
At the center of the dispute are two outstanding payments of £50 million each—funds Rwanda says were guaranteed under the agreement despite Britain’s decision to abandon the scheme.
In a statement posted on X, Rwanda’s government said Britain had requested in 2024 that Kigali forgo the two scheduled payments, which were due in April 2025 and April 2026, in anticipation of formally ending the treaty.
