A dangerous fugitive has been caught at a dental clinic after 21 months on the run.
Massimiliano Del Vecchio was nabbed in the chair yesterday (6 Aug) during a routine check-up.
But instead of a filling, he got a grilling.
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The 42-year-old suspected drug trafficker had been on the run since November 2023, when Italy’s Anti-Mafia District Prosecutor’s Office issued a warrant for his arrest.
He was added to the Italian Ministry of the Interior’s list of dangerous fugitives.
Police say Del Vecchio was a major player in the drug trade in and around his hometown of Fondi – between Rome and Naples – and had links to criminal cartels operating in the capital.
Local media also tied him to a string of arson attacks and claimed he had access to a cache of military-grade weapons, as reported by Need To Know.
A report from 2019 described how he allegedly beat a man’s legs in a violent attack after the victim refused to cooperate.
His arrest in Barcelona was the result of a joint investigation by Italian and Spanish authorities, who crowned the operation a success.
Del Vecchio was previously targeted – along with his twin brother Gianluca – in a major police operation that saw 16 people arrested but he managed to escape.
The Carabinieri in Latina said in a statement: “The case is currently at the preliminary investigation stage, and the suspect is presumed innocent until proven guilty, in accordance with Article 27 of the Constitution.”
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