Police deport alleged Italian drug lord

DENPASAR: The alleged head of an Italian drug smuggling syndicate, Sergio Boeri, accused of trafficking at least 30 tons of cocaine and other narcotics from Brazil to Europe, was extradited from Bali to his homeland on Saturday night.

Under heavy police guard, Boeri, 33, was taken from Bali Police Headquarters to the Ngurah Rai International Airport, where he was transferred into the custody of two Rome-based Interpol officers.

Boeri, one of Interpol's most wanted men, was caught by Bali Police on August 18 when he arrived at Ngurah Rai Airport with his girlfriend.

Police then notified Interpol about the arrival of Boeri, who had attempted to use a Brazilian passport under the name of Antonio Pereira Bianchi.

"We informed the Brazilian authority on the passport, and, yes, it was a fake. We also took the fugitive's fingerprints, and sent them to Interpol, and, yes, they matched Boeri's," a police spokesman said. -- JP