Bruno ‘The Fox’ Romeo one of the highest ranking Australian mafia bosses has died at the age of 87 according to reports.
He was a top leader of the Italian based Ndrangheta or Calabrian mafia which controls Australia’s drug trade according to authorities. He was known as “the fox” for his ability to evade law enforcement managing to stay a step ahead of the police for almost 30 years before finally being charged. He and his wife moved from a small village of Plati in Calabria known to be a Ndrangheta stronghold to Australia in the early 1950s and began his rise through the mob ranks. The Ndrangheta known to most locals simply as the mafia in Australia has dominated the countries organized crime scene for most of the 20th century.
“Bruno Romeo”
After finally being charged in 1990 with having a role in an $8 million dollar drug operation he went on the run and became one of Australia’s most wanted men. He led both national and international authorities on a 2 and a half year manhunt before finally being captured in NSW in 1992. He was found guilty and sentenced to 10 years in prison in WA although not without a fight. According to reports he allegedly took out murder contracts on protected witnesses that were scheduled to testify against him while he was awaiting trial. According to a National Crime Authority affidavit, he was direct and indirectly involved in trying to bribe witnesses, arranging murder contracts on them, and approaching members of their families.
His funeral is believed to attract high-ranking organized crime members from around the country according to federal police.
