"Arms would be sent to Albanian gangs", The Sun: They are in a 'war' to gain territory for drugs and prostitution

The Sun/ A quantity of weapons destined for gangs in Britain has been seized after police cracked down on a criminal arms trafficking group.

Glock pistols and a Kalashnikov were among 25 firearms found during an operation by police in Albania.

The weapons and hundreds of cartridges were earmarked for delivery to Albanian gangs in Britain, which are fighting to gain territory for drugs and prostitution in London.

The weapons, which were being prepared to be sent to Britain, were found after masked and armed police raided a property in a suburb of Tirana on Thursday.

5 people were arrested while the investigation continued after the discovery of the place where the weapons were kept.

Arrest warrants were also issued for 3 people living in Britain who are accused of gang ties.

The three Albanians aged 21, 44 and 62 have been accused of international arms smuggling.

NCA cooperation with the Special Prosecutor's Office against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK).

Their investigation focused on the crime-ridden Tropoja region in northern Albania.

Since the late 1990s, gangs from Tropoja have been active in Albanian communities in London boroughs such as Woolwich, Stratford and Barking.

Mobsters involved in prostitution, cocaine smuggling and cannabis farms are suspected to increase their power to warn off rivals.

Ervin Karamuco, professor of criminology at the State University of Tirana, said: "Criminal groups in Albania have created an arsenal of weapons to supply their associates in the UK.

The weapons were obtained in Turkey and on the Serbian illegal market, they could have been used by anyone, including terrorists."

The raid comes after last year, the same criminal gang was caught transporting Austrian-made Glock pistols capable of firing 20 rounds per second.

6 Glock, a Broëning pistol and a Hel-Star pistol were discovered hidden on a table inside a van with UK license plates, along with more than 200 rounds of ammunition.

Officials at the Albanian port of Durrës found the weapons, which were to be sent to Luton, using a scanner.

The van, a white Mercedes registered in Britain, was due to travel by ferry to the Italian port of Ancona and then on to the UK.