TIRANA, March 19 – Albanian police, in cooperation with US, Canadian and other international law enforcement authorities, made 39 arrests and are seeking another 12 people — as part of busting up groups involved in trafficking more than 1,000 people to the Great Britain, the United States and Canada.
Those arrested include four border police officers from the Hani i Hotit and Qafe Thane border points, while the operation involved law enforcement officials from the United States, Spain, France, Italy, Kosovo, SELEC, Interpol and other international security organizations.
“Seven criminally structured groups operating in Albania, Bulgaria, Spain, France, the Dominican Republic, Italy, Britain, Ireland, the US and Canada enabled the smuggling of approximately 1,000 Albanians to the UK, the US and Canada. Each person had to pay £7.000 to go to the UK, and $25,000 to $30,000 to reach the US and Canada,” Albania’s national police chief, Ardi Veliu, told local media.
The operation, which was led by the Serious Crimes Prosecution, aimed at uncovering the criminal groups which falsified traveling documents and IDs for Albanians to reach Europe or the US.
According to the authorities, the routes followed were Albania-Italy-the UK, Albania-France-the UK, Albania-Bulgaria-Belgium-Dominican Republic-the US/Canada, Albania-Spain-Latin America-the US/Canada.
After verifying the evidence, Albania’s Serious Crimes Prosecution asked for 51 arrest mandates, out of which 39 were used while 12 more are meant for people now declared wanted, among whom are two Bulgarians.
During the operation police confiscated ten personal computers, eight printers, 15 laptops containing information on the trafficked people, 56 cellphones, 17 cars, a few thousand Euros, Dollars and Albanian Leks, five international Albanian passports and two weapons.
