Wanted for Two Years, Pietro D’Adamo Is Arrested in Amsterdam

D’Adamo, 38 from LaSalle, flew to Amsterdam from Panama on his way to Rome. He had a forged Israeli passport and was travelling under an assumed name. His true identity was established thanks to the vigilance of a customs officer.

Pietro D’Adamo was then arrested and detained in Amsterdam pending completion of extradition procedures. On August 8, he was turned over to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The accused appeared at the Montréal Court House on August 9 to face the three counts on which he was wanted, namely conspiracy to import and possess 1,300 kg of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking, importation of 300 kg of cocaine, and commission of offences for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with a criminal organization.

These charges arise from the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU) investigation conducted as part of Project Colisée, which uncovered, among other things, a conspiracy to import 1,300 kg of cocaine via containers from Venezuela to Canada. This conspiracy allegedly involved Pietro D’Adamo.

A series of raids carried out by the CFSEU in November 2006 led to the arrest of ninety subjects, including Nicolo Rizzuto Sr., who faced numerous charges related to several aspects of organized crime.

Project Colisée investigators strived to establish the involvement of the accused in a variety of crimes: conspiracies to import cocaine via the Montréal Trudeau Airport, corruption of Canada Border Services Agency officers, conspiracies to import indeterminate quantities of drugs using their services, bookmaking, attempted murder, as well as cocaine and cannabis trafficking.