TIRANA, Oct. 22 – Authorities have continued their anti-drug operations across the country, making a series of successful large busts that are keeping up pressure on drug traffickers on a daily basis.
Last weekend, police seized 3.2 metric tons of cannabis as part of a major anti-drugs operation in the Kurvelesh area in southern Gjirokastra and Vlora counties.
The cannabis was found in a mountainous area, 220 kilometers south of the capital Tirana, and the large quantity of marijuana had already been harvested.
As has often been the case, the haul had been abandoned when police got there, so no arrests were made, and police named no suspects.
The next day, in Durres, 30 kilometers west of Tirana, police discovered a laboratory that processed and packed cannabis for trafficking.
Police found 700 kilograms of cannabis sativa and seven people were arrested. The owner of the building has been declared wanted and at large.
The group was discovered as the drugs were being packed to be shipped to Italy, police said.
Authorities are investigating the group’s ties to traffickers in Albania and abroad. Among those arrested, there were business owners with activities in Albania and Italy.
Several other people have been declared wanted by the police, as a larger drug gang was suspected to be involved in the trafficking.
In another operation, police discovered and destroyed 800 kilograms of cannabis plants in southern Tepelena region.
Greek police also reported that they had arrested a driver after finding 141 kilograms of cannabis in his car. He was stopped not far from the Albanian border.
On Tuesday, police at the Kapshtica border crossing point near Korà§a, southeast of capital Tirana, stopped and arrested a driver after finding 204 kilograms of cannabis hidden in his truck bound for neighboring Greece.
In Tirana, police arrested four people who are accused of selling marijuana to high school students. They were found with 50 small packs of cannabis ready to be sold.
Albania has been fighting a major battle to end its reputation of being a major cannabis producer, prompting authorities to carry out regular eradication campaigns, backed by heavily armed police squads.
Last year alone, police destroyed a large cannabis amount that would have sold for 7 billion euros ($8.5 billion) per year in European markets, equivalent to two-thirds of the country’s gross domestic product.
