CBS officers arrest Mafia suspect accused of Europe-wide heroin dealing

Officers from the Central Investigation Office (CBS) in Radosc near Warsaw y esterday detained a mafia suspect from Palermo in Italy, who is being sought under an international arrest warrant. According to the CBS, Francesco O. is a leading figure in the Turkish and Italian Mafias operating in Poland. "The suspect was responsible for trading heroin across Europe," said CBS spokesma n Pawel Biedziak. In 1998 Francesco O. was sentenced to 42 years in prison i n Italy after being found guilty of smuggling wholesale quantities of drugs. However, he managed to escape before being transported to prison. He subsequ ently traveled freely across Europe, using an expertly forged passport. Duri ng their investigation the CBS officers uncovered a gun and 97 bullets. They also discovered a number of receipts from money transfers, some amounting to as much as zl.100.000, possibly evidence of money laundering. (Gazeta Wyborc za, p. 7) M.T.