Berisha at the EPP Parliamentary Assembly: We have documents that prove the state's connection with drug cartels

The leader of the Democratic Party, Sali Berisha, in his speech at the Parliamentary Assembly of the European People's Party (EPP), denounced the situation in Albania as very serious, describing the country as the only narco-state in Europe. Berisha accused the Albanian government of massive election manipulation, using the entire state as an electoral body.

In his speech at the EPP parliamentary assembly, Berisha described Albania as a country where drug cartels have seized the ports, heroin trafficking and are in collaboration with the police, the prosecution, ministers and the prime minister himself, mentioning the name of Ergys Agas as the coordinator linked to these criminal activities.

Berisha : In fact, in these elections, the entire state was transformed into an electoral body. Financial, human, logistical, executive powers were used without limits to stop, control and manipulate the vote of Albanian citizens.

During the election campaign, the government, in violation of international laws and principles, gave each pensioner, representing 48% of voters, 100 euros. Two days before the election, it forgave 200 million euros in fines and interest.

It mobilized tens of thousands of administration employees, transformed into a kind of “political police” called patronage agents. Patronage agents armed with personal data taken from the digital systems of the government and banks, which were used to lure or threaten citizens across the country.

On the other hand, as you know, Albania is the only narco-state in Europe. The Prime Minister of Albania granted 138 licenses for drug cultivation. If the law allows cultivation for medical purposes on only 200 hectares, this time he granted 29,000 hectares – a figure that translates into more than 100 million cannabis roots. One root is worth between 500 and 1,000 euros. This was, more or less, the atmosphere in which these elections took place.

Madam Secretary General, you emphasized the involvement of the state. In fact, it was not just a state, it was a narco-state. Albania is the first and only narco-state in Europe.

We are in a very difficult situation. The drug cartels in my country are, by far, the most powerful in Europe. Why? Because they control the country's main ports. The heroin route from the East passes through their hands. They are in joint ventures with the police, prosecutors, ministers - and the Prime Minister himself. In his office, he keeps a person named Ergys Agasi, who acts as the coordinator of the drug cartel in the service of the government.

It is not an easy situation, but it is one that we must and can fight.

The help I still ask from the EPP and sister parties is to send a verification mission to my country, a fact-finding mission, which would be of extraordinary importance, not only for Albania, but also for your countries. Because Albania is a major exporter of crime and drugs. And also, a very large exporter of immigrants.

A fact-finding mission by the European People's Party is more than necessary. We have at our disposal an extraordinary amount of documents that show how this narco-state operates, what its connections are with the Sinaloa cartel in Mexico, with the cartels in Medellin, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador.

I believe that together we can help our nation, but also the region and the European Union itself.