Slovak Police Detain Wanted Italian Convicted of Drug-related Crime

Bratislava, 29 July (TASR) - The Slovak police detained a wanted 54-year-old Italian national, G.D.A. [name abbreviated due to legal reasons], in the town of Ziar nad Hronom (Banska Bystrica region) on Sunday (27 July), Police Corps Presidium spokesman Roman Hajek informed TASR on Tuesday. The man was sentenced to nine years in prison by a Dutch court for engaging in an organised criminal gang and trafficking in narcotics and psychotropic substances. The Italian was hiding in Slovakia after he managed to deactivate his electronic monitoring bracelet and leave the Netherlands. "Thanks to the intensive search, he was located and detained. His identity was definitely confirmed based on fingerprint identification carried out by the Criminalist-Expertise Institute of the Police Corps," said Hajek, adding that steps related to his extradition to the Netherlands are currently being taken. ko/df