'Ndrangheta, extradited Rocco Elia: arrested in French Guiana
The carabinieri and the local Gendarmerie had arrested Rocco Elia, 39, in French Guiana where he had chosen to live in hiding. He is considered to be affiliated with the Cacciola-Grasso clan from Rosarno and had escaped the "Ares" blitz.
To escape capture, he had chosen to flee to French Guiana. This is where the carabinieri located him after months of investigation. Elia, was arrested on 20 November 2018 by the local Gendarmerie in collaboration with the Carabinieri of Gioia Tauro, while sunbathing in one of the villages on the Atlantic coast. He is under investigation for international drug trafficking by the Reggio Calabria prosecutor.
In recent days, the fugitive was extradited to Italy. His role within the criminal organization was to pack and market cocaine and hashish that arrived in Italy mixed with loads of fruit throughout the national territory. The investigations documented the relationship between the Cacciola-Grasso gang, the San Luca gangs in Colombia and criminal organizations on the Iberian Peninsula. During the operation 500 kilos of hashish, from Morocco, were seized, addressed to the market in Milan. The wholesalers were the Cacciola-Grasso and in particular Rocco Elia. It was not easy to locate the wanted person. He moved between Europe and South America using fake documents.