TIRANA, Oct. 4 – Albanian, Italian and Greek law enforcement authorities have completed an international anti-drug operation, with the Italian coastguard seizing more than 700 kilos of marijuana off the coast of the Italian city of Otranto.
Albanian police said three men from Albania were arrested on board a speedboat during the seizure.
Greek Border Police had reported the speedboat was believed to be trafficking narcotics from Greece to Italy, according to Albanian media outlets. It notified Albanian and Italians authorities, who were on the path of the speedboat.
Italian coastguard vessels were notified and were able to get to the speedboat near the Otranto shore, an area that according to Italian police is one of the main gateways for drug traffickers.
According to an Italian anti-drug report, over the past year, most of the marijuana seized in Italy was coming into the country through the sea, much of it believed to be originating in Albania.
According to the report, about 13.6 tons of marijuana were seized in 2016, while in 2015, only 2.9 tons were seized in the sea.
In relation to the marijuana source countries, as estimated by the Italian Anti-Drug Report for 2016, the largest quantities of seized marijuana originated from Albania (9.6 tons), Greece (900 kg) and Spain (112 kg), while among the nationalities involved in sea traffic, there were primarily Italians (26 trafficking cases reported) and Albanians (24 cases reported).
Large amounts of marijuana continue to be seized this year too, with tons of the narcotic drug blocked at the Italian coast.Albanian police have carried out large-scale operations, especially in those areas suspected of trafficking, but in most cases traffickers have managed to escape arrest even when there have been large seizures.
