TIRANA, July 5 – Police said on Friday they arrested two police officers in the city of Fier accused of allowing marijuana cultivation in some of the city’s rural areas.
According to police, “the arrest of two police officers was done after when, abusing their position, they allegedly favored different residents of these villages for the cultivation of narcotic plants in exchange for financial benefits.”
Police said Operation “Cakrani 2019” for the identification and disposal of some parcels planted with narcotics resulted in the arrest of five other people.
The Fier First Instance Court charged the detainees, including the chief of Fier’s Cakran village, with imprisonment. Police said it had tracked some parcels planted with narcotic plants or in preparation for planting, while dozens of marijuana seeds were found in the apartments of the arrested.
Marijuana cultivation continues to be widespread in Albania. Criminal groups tend to exploit broken terrains near water areas to plant narcotic plants. Currently, it is the planting stage of seeds in these areas and police have launched operational actions combining information with airborne monitoring. In recent years, the cultivation of marijuana, according to the police itself, has also thrived due to cooperation with police officers who allowed traffickers to cultivate marijuana in return for financial gains.
