Cocaine hidden in fruit

Suspected ‘Ndrangheta member, Vadala, may have used farms to cover drug trafficking.

Police checks in Calabria, illutsrative stock photoPolice checks in Calabria, illutsrative stock photo (Source: AP/SITA)

On Tuesday, March 13, the police detained the Trebišov-based entrepreneur Antonino Vadala, aged 42, as part of a secret international drug-busting operation.

The raid, about which even top Slovak police officials did not know until the very last moment, is the result of a three-year investigation into the Italian mafia syndicate ‘Ndrangheta.

SkryťTurn off ads
Article continues after video advertisement
SkryťTurn off ads
Article continues after video advertisement

Italian detectives suspect them of money laundering and of having smuggled hundreds of kilograms of drugs.

Vadala was detained on the morning of Tuesday, March 13 in Michalovce. The suspicion that Vadala is involved in cocaine smuggling was mentioned in three sentences in the last story of murdered journalist Ján Kuciak.

SkryťTurn off ads

400 kilograms

of cocaine worth €30 million were detained by Italian police in December 2015 in a supply of exotic fruits. It seems Vadala also helped with smuggling it, according to investigators.

Drug smuggling, money laundering

Recently, the court in Venice, Italy, issued a European warrant for Vadala and 16 other members of the alleged smuggling gang.

Andrea Predajňová, spokesperson for the Slovak Prosecutor’s Office, explained that in Italy he is being prosecuted for “a drug crime while a member of a criminal gang as part of a multinational operation”. She did not elaborate in detail. Vadala is the only member of the alleged gang detained in Slovakia. The remaining suspects were detained by Italian police; 11 – including Vadala – are in custody while six are under home confinement.

The rest of this article is premium content at Spectator.sk
Subscribe now for full access

I already have subscription - Sign in

Subscription provides you with:
  • Immediate access to all locked articles (premium content) on Spectator.sk
  • Special weekly news summary + an audio recording with a weekly news summary to listen to at your convenience (received on a weekly basis directly to your e-mail)
  • PDF version of the latest issue of our newspaper, The Slovak Spectator, emailed directly to you
  • Access to all premium content on Sme.sk and Korzar.sk

Top stories

From left: Defence Minister Robert Kaliňák (Smer), Supreme Allied Commander Europe Christopher Cavoli, and Daniel Zmeko.

Don't forget to do your shopping ahead of Easter, a tip for a new Slovak National Gallery exhibition, and feast your eyes on decorated eggs.


Píšem or pišám?

"Do ľava," (to the left) I yelled, "Nie, do prava" (no, to the right), I gasped. "Dolšie," I screamed. "Nie, nie, horšie..." My Slovak girlfriend collapsed in laughter. Was it something I said?


Matthew J. Reynolds
Czech biochemist Jan Konvalinka.

Jan Konvalinka was expecting a pandemic before Covid-19 came along.


SkryťClose ad