TIRANA, Sept. 7 – Massive hauls of marijuana believed to have originated in Albania continue to be seized by police in neighboring countries and in Albania — with Italian authorities seizing 4 tons this week alone.
The massive haul was seized on the high seas, with three Albanians caught with the drugs on board a luxury yacht.
Albanian police said the yacht had not entered Albanian territorial waters, and sourced told local media the cannabis load was likely brought to the yacht in international waters by another vessel that had departed the northern Albanian coast.
It is the latest in several incidents in which Italian police seize cannabis being shipped from the direction of Montenegrin or Croatian waters, after heavy police presence between Albania and Italy has likely forced traffickers to switch tactics.
The seizure led to an institutional debate between Albania’s police and military officials, with State Police General Director Haki à‡ako saying the radars if the military Sea Monitoring Center in Durres were not working properly, hampering police efforts.
The Ministry of Defense said the radar systems were fully functional, calling à‡ako’s “groundless.”
In addition to the Italian seizure, another 1 ton of cannabis was seized in the Karaburun area of Vlora in a boat spotted by police near a hiding place for traffickers. The owners escaped before police could get to them.
