Tally of successful police operation grows in ‘Europe’s marijuana capital’.
TIRANA, July 2 – The total amount of marijuana police have destroyed or confiscated in their raid on Lazarat has grown to more than 65 tons two weeks after authorities stormed into the southern Albanian village known as “Europe’s marijuana capital.”
Police said they have also destroyed about 133,000 cannabis plants and seized a few kilos of heroin, in addition to finding three five laboratories used to processing cannabis.
In addition, authorities said police have seized about 500 weapons, including rocket-propelled grenade launchers, mortars, heavy automatic machine guns and explosives.
Police have arrested 45 people and started criminal investigations against many others, including the local mayor.
The arrests and seizures come after police successfully completed a five-day raid in Lazarat, taking full control the formerly lawless southern Albanian village.
About 800 police officers besieged Lazarat for several days, coming under fire from gangs with guns, rocket-propelled grenades and even mortars before being able to finally move in and take over and search every building.
Many of those arrested this week are believed to have used weapons against police in the early days of the raid.
The government says it is determined to tackle drug production across the country.
Visiting European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso hailed Albania for its anti-drug operation in Lazarat and called on the country’s political parties to supporter law enforcement in the anti-drug operations.
Barroso also urged Albania’s law enforcement authorities and the judiciary to complete the operation with confiscations, legal punishments and imprisonment of the culprits.
