Fugitive drug lord with PERMANENT ERECTION sentenced to 21 years behind bars
A MAFIA boss known for his permanent erection has been sentenced to 21 years behind bars having spent years on the run.
Drug lord Francesco Castriotta has been jailed for 21 years
Francesco Castriotta, 42, is a notorious cocaine drug lord, who scarpered while awaiting trial in Italy in 2009.
Due to his permanent erection - a painful condition called priapism which Castriotta put down to years of cocaine use - convinced judges at the time not to remand him in jail and was placed under house arrest.
To persuade judges of his uncomfortable condition, Castriotta clutched a bag of ice to his groin and moaned about his discomfort.
But he then went on the run and became a fugitive.
Castriotta was notorious for dealing cocaine
Now, seven years later, authorities have tracked him down thanks to Christmas cards and phone calls from his family which betrayed his whereabouts.
Castriotta was found and arrested in El Bendrell, Spain.
Officers believe he had been supplying cocaine to dealers in Milan via his Catalan home.
He has been detained by Spanish officers and trialled by Italian courts in absence, which has resulted in a 21 year sentence.
Gang smuggle drugs on busy Spanish tourist beach
Castriotta was living in Catalan when he was caught
He can expect a stiff penalty when he returns to Italy
One Italian officer joked: “He can expect a stiff penalty when he returns to Italy.”
Spanish police, who helped track down the criminal, released a statement which read: “This arrest is a big success of the State.”
It added the arrest was “the result of the sacrifice and dedication of the police officers who, even at Christmas, have continued to work to locate this dangerous criminal."