Francesco Lapis was known to be part of the Roman Camorra crime organisation, police said.
"The fugitive appeared on (Italy's) list of the 'most dangerous fugitives' since he was known in criminal circles as a person close to the so-called 'Roman Camorra'," the Spanish National Police said in a statement on Saturday.
Lapis had been convicted in Italy for trafficking large quantities of cocaine, hashish and marijuana between Spain and Italy.
After Lapis fled, Italian police asked Spanish counterparts for help tracing him as he was believed to be in Spain.
Police said it was initially thought he was in Ibiza but when his associates travelled by plane from France to Barcelona, officers started a surveillance operation to track Lapis in the city.
In an effort to evade capture, Lapis' associates swapped taxis after leaving the airport.
"Despite the security measures adopted, (police) managed to continue tracking (them) to the outskirts of the city of Barcelona, where they were met by the fugitive himself on a public road, who was quickly arrested," police said.
Italian police issued a European arrest warrant for Lapis' capture.
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