Dutch police have arrested a senior member of the mafia on behalf of the Italian authorities, the public prosecution department said in a statement.

Francesco Nirta, 39, was arrested after a raid on a block of flats in Nieuwegein. Four other people, including a 28-year-old Italian, were also picked up. Police also found 40 kilos of cocaine and €18,000 in cash.

Nirta is said to be a member of the ‘Ndrangheta’, a violent mafia organisation based in the southern province of Calabria. He is wanted for murder, firearms offences and mafia membership.

He has already been sentenced to life imprisonment and was one of the 10 most wanted mafia members worldwide.

Italian officials say it is likely the man has been in the Netherlands since 2007. Another member of the clan, Giuseppe Nirta, was arrested in Amsterdam in 2008, the NRC said.