One of Italy's most wanted mafia bosses, Marcello Pesce, was arrested in the southern city of Reggio Calabria, police tweeted on Wednesday. He had been on the run since 2010.
Police arrested Pesce, nicknamed 'the dancer' in a dawn raid on an apartment building in his native Rosarno. Pesce was unarmed and did not resist arrest, police said.
Police also arrested 52-year-old Pesce's father and his son who were in the apartment with him, the Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno daily reported.
Pesce has a passion for literature and police found piles of books is hideout including works by French writer Marcel Proust and existentialist philospher Jean-Paul Sartre.
Italy's interior minister Angelino Alfano hailed Pesce's arrest and said he was "considered one of the Calabrian mafia or 'Ndrangheta's top bosses as well as the leader of its fearsome Pesce clan".
"This is a wonderful day for Italy," said Alfano.
"A dangerous fugitive who police have sought internationally for the past six years has been brought to justice," Alfano said.
Italy issued an international arrest warrant for Pesce who went on the run 2010 after a court in Reggio Calabria sentenced him to over 15 years in prison for mafia association, murder, drugs offences and fraud.
His Pesce clan's stronghold is the area around the Calabrian port and transshipment hub of Gioia Tauro and it has offshoots in northern Italy, especially Lombardy.
Now Italy's wealthiest and most powerful crime syndicate, the 'Ndrangheta operates throughout Italy as well as in Europe and overseas.
Its influence and networks extend from Australia to North and South America, where it has links to the main drugs cartels.