Bare sentenced to life in prison

TIRANA, March 28 – An Albanian leader of a large drug-smuggling ring active across southeastern Europe, also a serial killer has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Tirana district court.
Alfred Shkurti, 45, also known as Aldo Bare, has been sentenced for seven murders, creation of a criminal organization, illegal possession of weapons and property destruction.
The total 100-page verdict Monday had separate sentencing up to 146 years imprisonment, but concluded with life in prison at a high-security center.
Five years ago Shkurti was arrested in Turkey and extradited to Albania in 2009 on an international warrant for leading his gang known as Banda e Lushnjes that operated out of Turkey, Bulgaria, Macedonia and Romania, trafficking drugs to Western Europe.
His lawyer said they would appeal the verdict. Bare himself hardly spoke and was seen with an ironical face and also murmuring to his lawyer.