REYNOSA, Tamaulipas — A top-level member of the Italian mafia was arrested by federal law enforcement officials in this Mexican border state. The mafia leader is expected to be sent back to Italy to serve a prison term from a prior conviction. Authorities discovered the man hiding in the country illegally.
Following an intelligence drive operation, Mexican authorities arrested 64-year-old Giulio Perrone in the Mexican port city of Madero, Tamaulipas. Perrone is described as a top-ranking member of the mafia in Naples who has been on the run for 10 years following a drug trafficking conviction. He received a prison term of 20 years and 11 months.
Italy listed Perrone as one of its most-wanted fugitives for more than 10 years. Since he had entered Mexico illegally, at the time of his arrest, federal authorities seized multiple fake ID’s the fugitive had in his possession. Perrone has no pending legal matters in the U.S., Mexican authorities did not disclose if Perrone had been living in Mexico or if he was trying to get to the U.S.
Officials turned the fugitive mobster over to Italian authorities for extradition.
Breitbart Texas previously reported on a similar case where another Italian mobster was arrested in Arizona after entering the country illegally. In that case, Salvatore Marciante was arrested in January by U.S. Border Patrol agents in Nogales, Arizona after entering the country illegally. Marciante had been an Italian mobster living as a legal resident in New York who was convicted on various organized crime charges in 1995. Marciante was deported to Italy in 2004 after serving his sentence.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and Stephen K. Bannon. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook.
Tony Aranda contributed to this report.