Spanish police say they have arrested Domenico Paviglianiti in Soria, after a cross-border operation linked to Italy’s anti-mafia efforts. The 65-year-old is wanted to serve more than 19 years in prison for offences including mafia association, murder and weapons crimes.
The arrest was carried out by the Policía Nacional’s UDYCO unit, with the case tied to Interpol’s I-CAN project, which targets members of the Calabrian mafia, the ‘Ndrangheta. For readers in Barcelona following major crime and policing cases, the key point is that the detention happened in Spain, but the legal process now moves towards Italy.
According to Spanish police, investigators tracked people close to Paviglianiti, monitored movements between Spain and Italy and intercepted mobile phones before locating him in Soria. Italian broadcaster Sky TG24 reported that he was detained as he left a restaurant in the city.
The operation involved Spain’s Policía Nacional, Interpol, prosecutors in Reggio Calabria and Italy’s Guardia di Finanza. The arrest was made under a European arrest warrant issued by Italian judicial authorities, which is the EU system used to request the arrest and transfer of suspects or convicted people across borders. You can read more about our reporting standards in the Editorial Policy and Source Transparency pages.
Italian justice authorities describe Paviglianiti as one of the leading figures of the ‘Ndrangheta, based in Calabria in southern Italy. Case material cited by the Italian Ministry of Justice says he was sought over convictions for mafia association, murder and offences linked to weapons possession and trafficking.
Spanish reporting on the case says Paviglianiti had previously been arrested in Spain in 1996 and again in Madrid in 2021. After his release, a new European arrest warrant was issued in 2022, which Spanish police say led to the arrest in Soria. The next step is a court-led surrender process in Spain, after which Italian authorities will seek his transfer.
For official updates, readers should follow statements from the Policía Nacional and the Spanish court process. Primary sources on the European arrest warrant framework include EUR-Lex, the BOE and INTERPOL.
