Lebanon extradites suspected drug dealer to Italy

ROME (AA) - Lebanon on Thursday handed over to Italy a suspected Italian drug dealer arrested weeks ago near the capital Beirut, the Italian police said.

Sought with an international arrest warrant, Bruzzaniti was arrested while he was having dinner at a restaurant in the city of Jounieh.

He is accused of being responsible for the smuggling of around two tons of cocaine a month from South America to Italy.

He was a fugitive since October last year when Italian police arrested more than 30 people accused of being part of a criminal group responsible for the smuggling of tons of cocaine from South America to the southern Italian region of Calabria, a stronghold of ‘Ndrangheta, an Italian organized crime syndicate.

At the time, police seized more than four tons of cocaine, worth €800 million ($876 million).

These arrests were the result of an investigation carried out by Italian authorities in collaboration with Interpol, the US Drug Enforcement Administration and Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces.