TIRANA, June 21 – The arrest of an Albanian man in February 2014 ignited a massive investigation by the Italian police on a sophisticated Albanian drug trafficking organization. The investigation launched in Milan revealed new channels used by drug traffickers to transfer their millions to Albania. Two years after the arrest of 25-year -old Marsel Bedulla, prosecutors in Milan issued 40 arrest warrants for the members of a notorious criminal organization, seized 130 kilograms of cocaine and heroin as well as 300.000 Euros ready to be transferred to Albania. The operation codenamed “Riccio” was carried out in collaboration with Albanian officials. It also led to the arrest of 12 couriers and suppliers in Albania, members of this organization. These twelve men dealt with everything starting with supply, distribution of drugs as well as transferring money. Reporter new agency says it has obtained copies of the investigation file which show that the criminal organization had almost forty members: 31 Albanians and nine other men from Morocco, Tunis and Romania.
The organization was run by Amarild Karanxhaj, a 32-year-old Albanian man who is still on the run after managing to escape police. Investigations revealed that the members of this organization lead a simple life in Italy and unlike other traffickers, they did not indulge in expensive cars nor in night parties. This organization which according to an anonymous source of Reporter news agency works on behalf of a very powerful criminal group based in the coastal town of Durres, had established a sophisticated communication system, using special codes as well as a solid transfer system for their money laundering plans from Italy to Albania. According to Reporter, Albanian criminal organizations are considered very powerful in the neighboring country. They are able to move tons of drugs through the European Union countries, the Balkans or even within Italy.
Italian officials reported in 2015 that the Balkan route was used to traffic over 170 tons of heroin worth USD 25 billion. In the past two years, the dismantled organization was able to send over 2 million Euros to Albania while police seized over 130 kilograms of heroin and cocaine. The money was transferred using bus or truck drivers who undergo light border control measures. Transport company “Arjani Travel” was also identified as part of the network after it managed to transfer over 70.000 Euros to Albania. The members of the organization were forced to apply strict security measures and stay in the shadows. Every member of the organization was prohibited to stay in each other’s company in public. They were also ordered to be exemplary citizens in their communities and pay their rents regularly. Once in a while the members of this organization brought their families to visit them in Italy to keep up appearances as if they were regular migrants. Police forces in Italy and Albania wiretapped their phones for at least two years. Text messages and phone calls were recorded. At first their conversation did not seem important, but as a matter of fact it revealed so much about the sale of heroin and cocaine as well transfers of money to Albania. Traffickers used codenames such as “Alba’ for the money, “Gela’ for the vehicles used for drug trafficking and “Sara’ for the buyer. “Eni” and “Canvas” were the two codes used to describe heroin and cocaine.
