Cocaine smugglers arrested in Tirana

TIRANA, Nov. 5 – Tirana police arrested three persons found with 2.148 kilograms of cocaine. Violeta Shabanaj, 37, Armand Kulici, 27, and policeman Astrit Kulici, 37, were arrested following a police operation named Avion Ekspress. That was an international police operation in collabroation with counterparts from the United States and other countries where the drugs had passed through. There was also a considerable coolabroation among the prosecutor offices and other law enforcement institutions. The arrested persons have been accused of trafficking drugs in collaboration. It is believed that the drugs came from Columbia with a cargo plane at the Mother Teresa international airport. The handover of the drugs would be made at Zhan D’Ark boulevard. The drugs were found at a tube that was closed from all the sides. Polcie are investigating to find the person who had send the drugs from the United States. Vice Interior Minister Gjergj Lezhja said htat was a difficult operation as the perpetrators had used a sophisticated method of transport. Albanian police have been trying to wide the country from the international drug ring network. That has been set as one of the routes of the drugs, mainly heroin coming from Afghanistan thorugh Turkey, Bulgaria and Macedonia. Fightin gfdrug trafficking has been set as one of the priorities of the government following international pressure along its efforts of integrateion intpo the European Union and NATO.