In a major operation conducted by the Italian authorities 17 members of the organized criminal syndicate Ndrangheta were arrested. Among them was the boss Gaetano Tomaselli who was arrested on a cruise ship. The police boarded the cruise ship during a stop in Cagliari on August 4, before the passengers could get off, and arrested Tomaselli. The special antiterrorism squad of the Guardia di Finanza of Reggio Calabria on the night of July 30, planned to arrest Tomaselli at his home. However one day before, he boarded on cruise ship with his family in Civitavecchia.

Gaetano Tomaselli is arrested on charges for criminal association aimed at international drug trafficking. He is a prominent member of the Ndrangheta clan of Vibo Valentia. Latest arrest are part of the operation named "Volcano", carried out by the Tax Police of Reggio Calabria that culminated last July 14 with 12 arrests and the seizure of more than 80 kilos of pure cocaine, found inside one container on the merchant ship " MSC Poh Lin ".

Ndrangheta crime syndicate became the most powerful mafia organization in Italy in the early 2000. While commonly tied together with the Sicilian Mafia, the 'Ndrangheta operates independently, though there is contact between the two clans, due to the shared culture and geographical proximity between Calabria and Sicily. According to Europol, the Ndrangheta is among the most powerful and richest organised crime groups on global level.

The Italian Media didn’t release the name of the cruise ship Gaetano Tomaselli was arrested. However after checking the cruise ships itineraries, in Cagliari on August 4, was only Costa Diadema.