Albanians in drug networks throughout Italy

TIRANA, July 8 – Albanians are among the top leaders of drug crimes in nearby Italy.
Recently Italian police hit a drug ring which had its “brain” in Albania, the operations center in Rimini and Valle d’Aosta, and distributed cocaine throughout central and northern Italy, which they had bought in the Netherlands.
The White Eagle police operation arrested 23 persons. The gangs were made up of Albanians from the northeastern areas of Albania, according to Italian media, and had links to residents in The Netherlands.
The operation of the gang was directed by a powerful boss who resided in Albania, who ordered the cocaine, managed the sale as well as the collection of money. There was no less than half a kilo of cocaine in that traffic.
Another Albanian residing in Sarre led the operations in Italy. There were different levels of organization up to detailed terms of reference for couriers and distributors.
Three Italians were also involved with the gang of Albanians.
The Guardia di Finanza di Pollein had investigated it for a long time with phone taps and cameras. They discovered that the center was in Valle d’Aosta. More than two kilos of cocaine were found in different places where the suspects lived.
At the end of the operation police said they had eliminated the ‘arms and legs of the organization’ and the ‘brain’ was the last one remaining.
In another operation Italian police dismantled a drug and arms trafficking ring in a two-year operation during which 40 suspects from Italy, Albania, Slovenia and Kosovo were arrested.