Police: Longtime fugitive Italian mobster nabbed in Uruguay

A top crime syndicate boss convicted of drug trafficking and on the run from Italy since 1994 has been arrested in Uruguay, where he was living in a luxury villa in a seaside resort town under an alias and using a false Brazilian passport, authorities said Monday.

This undated photo released by Italian Carabinieri shows a man identified as longtime fugitive Rocco Morabito prior to being arrested in a Montevideo, Uruguay. (Carabinieri via AP)

Reggio Calabria Chief Prosecutor Federico Cafiero de Raho said Rocco Morabito played a big role in cocaine trafficking between South America and Milan, a distribution point for the drug to be sold elsewhere. Morabito was described as a key figure in the Calabria-based 'ndrangheta mob, one of the world's biggest cocaine traffickers.

Interior Minister Marco Minniti said Morabito has been convicted of mafia association and drug trafficking.

In this photo taken on Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017, a man identified by Italian Police as longtime fugitive Rocco Morabito looks down after being arrested in a Montevideo hotel, Uruguay.  (Italian Police via AP)

Morabito must serve 30 years in Italian prison. Italian state radio said Morabito, 51, was arrested Sunday in a Montevideo hotel, but lived in a villa with its own swimming pool in Punta del Este.

Police in Uruguay said they confiscated a 9 mm gun, 13 cell phones and $54,000 (about 45,000 euros) in cash from his villa. Also confiscated was a luxury Mercedes coupe.

In this photo released by Uruguay's Interior Ministry on Monday, Sept. 4, 2017, a luxury Mercedes coupe is parked in the villa where Italian mafia fugitive Rocco Morabito lived in the resort town of Punta del Este, Uruguay. (Uruguay Interior Ministry via AP)

Media reports said that until a few months ago, investigators had concentrated their manhunt in Brazil. But one of his children was recently registered for school in Uruguay with Morabito's real name instead of an alias, shifting the focus of the hunt for him to that country, Italian news reports said.

Police in Uruguay said Morabito has a wife there, who was briefly detained, and who has a Portuguese passport stating Angola as her birthplace.

Prosecutors have said the 'ndrangheta tries to ensure its cocaine deals with drug cartels are carried out to its satisfaction by having its own top bosses live in South American so they can be closer to the producers.

This photo released by Uruguay's Interior Ministry on Monday, Sept. 4, 2017 shows a swimming pool in the backyard of the villa where Italian mafia fugitive Rocco Morabito lived in the luxury resort town of Punta del Este, Uruguay.  (Uruguay Interior Ministry via AP)

SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle Kraken will move their games to an over-the-air broadcaster and have a streaming partnership with Amazon’s Prime Video beginning with the 2024-25 season, the team announced Thursday.

The Kraken will be the first NHL team to have a streaming deal with Prime Video for all non-nationally televised games and will be available to Amazon Prime members in Washington, Oregon and Alaska. They are also the third individual team to have a streaming partnership with Prime Video, joining the New York Yankees and the Seattle Storm.

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has a minority stake in the ownership group of the Kraken.

Seattle will partner with TEGNA for the over-the-air component, with most of the broadcasts airing on KONG-TV in Seattle. At least 15 of the games are expected to air on KING, the NBC affiliate in Seattle, with games also broadcast on TEGNA-owned stations in Portland, Oregon (KGW), and Spokane, Washington (KREM).

The team said TEGNA is working on other over-the-air options for broadcast partners in the three states.

Seattle had spent its first three seasons with games broadcast on ROOT Sports, which is primarily owned by the Seattle Mariners. But the regional sports network has run into financial and production issues in the past year which has left its future in question.

The Kraken and ROOT Sports agreed to mutually end their original partnership early.

“ROOT has been a terrific partner for us; we have appreciated their support as we determined our broadcast plans moving forward,” Kraken owner Sam Holloway said in a statement. “Today’s announcement is a game changer for our fans. Our goal is to increase the ways they can watch our games — whether they’re cheering us on at home or on the go. To have both TEGNA and Prime Video as trusted partners is a dream come true.”

The NHL also announced Thursday a two-year agreement with Prime Video that will make the streamer the exclusive home of Monday night NHL games broadcast in Canada. All Monday night NHL games broadcast in English in Canada will air through Prime Video for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons.

This story has been updated to correct the spelling of TEGNA throughout.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Seattle Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord defends against a Minnesota Wild shot during the third period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, April 18, 2024, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)