TIRANA, Nov. 25, 2022 – An international police operation has led to the busting of a cocaine trafficking network from Latin America to Montenegro and Albania, that has led to 15 arrests, including a former Socialist Party mayor who is currently an executive for the state-owned power company.
The cocaine was mixed with crop fertilizers put on a ship in Columbia, arrived at a port in Montenegro before heading to the central Albanian county of Fier where it was allegedly to be processed, according to police.
Police knew since July of the shipment but let it wait at port and then go through so they could find the destination, prosecutors said at a press conference on Friday.
Albanian and Montenegrin police received information from U.S. law enforcement officials that led to the find, according to reports in the local media.
In all, 430 kg of cocaine with a street value of about 40 million euros were recovered, police said in a press release.
The drugs were found in the home of Viktor Cervanaku, the former mayor of Frakull municipality who is currently an executive for state-owned OST. He and several of his relatives were among those arrested on Thursday night.
