TIRANA, Jan. 24 – Albanian police announced on Wednesday it had arrested two people in Vlora accused of trafficking a considerable amount of narcotics through sea towards Italy.
The marijuana amount was blocked on Tuesday during an international police operation between the Albanian police and the Italian coastguard.
According to official data, two young men aged 39 and 33 years old and living in Vlora were arrested after an investigation that included Fier, Vlora, Lezha and Elbasan.
However, the police did not specify where the drugs came from and what was its exact quantity, while unofficial sources spoke of about one ton of seized marijuana
On Tuesday morning, Albanian police and the Italian coastguard Guardia di Finanza discovered a dinghy a few miles away from the seashore and then pursued the traffickers.
Police seized the traffickers’ vehicle in the area, as well as the vehicles that were used to transport the narcotics and approximately one ton of marijuana.
Narcotics continue to be transported from Albania, both through sea to Italy and through land to Greece. Narcotics networks continue to use the marijuana that has been cultivated in the past years in Albania, but also during 2018 when, according to Albanian police estimates, marijuana cultivation marked a significant decline.
