TIRANA, Oct. 30 – Police announced on Tuesday the seizure of three million euros worth of wealth from an Albanian-origin criminal group arrested in Denmark in June during a joint operation extending to Denmark, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Slovenia and Albania.
The sequestered assets are located in Shkodra and include a private poultry company worth over 1.5 million euros, ten residential apartments on the beach of Velipoja, one residential apartment in Shkodra and 14 vehicles of various brands, products of recent years.
According to police, the assets were allegedly derived from the criminal activities of citizens Jetmir Kastrati, Eri Pelinku, Defrim Eçi and Armando Duçaj, arrested in Denmark for the offenses “structured criminal group”, “international drug trafficking” and “laundering of the byproducts of crime or criminal activity ”.
Tuesday’s police operation, codenamed “GOLDFINGER”, is a follow-up to the operation dated June 26, when, after the arrest in Denmark of four group members, 200,000 euros, ten million lek, seven vehicles, seven apartments and one business was seized.
The seized properties, according to police, were registered on behalf of the family members of the members of this criminal group, aiming to hide traces of drug money laundering.
Following the seizure, the properties were handed over to the Agency for the Administration of Sequestrated and Confiscated Assets at the Ministry of Finance.
Meanwhile, there are suspicions that members of this criminal group have other assets hidden within Albania’s territory.
