Don Flaco arrest revives Italy trafficking account
Original reporting: Infobae México
What happened
Infobae revisits the alleged Sicily route and a 2020 seizure following Rivera Zazueta’s arrest in Mexico.
Reporting and context
The arrest of José Ángel Rivera Zazueta, known as “Don Flaco,” has renewed attention to an alleged cocaine route through Italy. According to Infobae, Mexican federal agents detained him in Mexico City on September 22 under an order for extradition proceedings to the United States.
Infobae’s account, drawing on journalist Anabel Hernández’s reporting, describes a 2019 effort to move cocaine through Sicily’s Catania airport for sale to the ’Ndrangheta. It says Rivera Zazueta was identified after using his real passport to register at a hotel, allowing Italian investigators to track the network and infiltrate it.
Infobae reported that two Guatemalan associates were arrested in Verona on January 16, 2020, with 385 kilograms of cocaine and €35,000. The outlet says both received 12-year prison sentences, while Rivera Zazueta returned to Mexico without being arrested in that operation.
The proposed initial shipment was 1.5 tonnes, a planned amount distinct from the reported seizure. The account also describes an unrealized soap-factory plan allegedly intended to launder proceeds. These historical allegations are separate from the current U.S. extradition proceedings.