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Europol hit the cocaine network in Europe, the Albanian businessman part of the criminal organization

Politiko 2022-02-16 22:31:20

Europol hit the cocaine network in Europe, the Albanian businessman part of the

One of the most active cocaine smuggling networks in Europe, organized by the Albanian mafia, was hit in a major international action by Eurojust and Europol, in which both Uskok and the Zagreb Prosecutor's Office participated.

Seven countries took part in the operation, with most of the operations taking place in Belgium and Spain. Checks were carried out in over 80 locations and 45 suspects were arrested. A series of parallel actions took place in Croatia, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.

The suspects allegedly imported cocaine from Latin America to various European ports and transported the drugs by plane, ship, car and truck. The drugs were then sold in bulk. The money was laundered through a number of companies in various countries, including Croatia and Spain.

Has the Osmani family laundered money in Croatia?

Jutarnji list writes that the search for apartments and premises in Croatia used by members of the Osmani family, owners of hotels in the center of Poreç, is ongoing.

German media have written about the Albanian with a Croatian passport, Bashki Osmani and his three brothers, saying that it was a clan that amassed wealth through illegal activities. They wrote that they were involved in drug and arms trafficking.

Bashkim Osmani, on the other hand, claims that he made his fortune by investing in real estate in Hamburg and then in Spain. Osmani once told Nacional that after moving to Hamburg in the 1980s, the family significantly increased the wealth they already had in Albania, including political ties in Germany. Bashkim bought a hotel in the center of Porec in 2007.

The investigation lasted for years

The operation is the culmination of months of careful planning between law enforcement and the judiciary, Europol reported. Investigations in Spain began in 2018 with the arrest of a senior member of an organized criminal group, who is currently in custody.  

Investigations have begun in Belgium following the seizure of drugs and large quantities of chemicals used in cocaine processing in September 2020. The suspects have been linked to large quantities of cocaine seized in various searches across Europe in recent years.

This high-level criminal network has set up a number of profit laundering companies in various countries, including Croatia and Spain. Mafia members traveled regularly to Dubai, Mexico and Colombia to negotiate deals. Translated by Index

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