A member of a gang that earned $21 billion from smuggling fuel and lubricants has been arrested in Greece.

Greek authorities have arrested a senior member of an international gang that smuggled Latin American fuels for illegal sale around the world, generating profits of more than $21 billion, police said March 30.

The gang member, an Italian national who had an Interpol arrest warrant, was found in the southern suburbs of Athens on Friday, a police official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. The warrant calls for the man's arrest and extradition to Venezuela to face charges including illegal transportation and trafficking of strategic resources, the official said.

The gang stole fuels and lubricants loaded onto its oil tankers at Latin American ports and disabled tracking transponders to defraud shipping brokers, police said in a statement. The criminal organization made more than $21 billion in profits from smuggling, damaging both brokers and their home countries, police said.

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