Who is Luftar Hysa, allegedly of the Sinaloa Cartel, and why he met Albanian PM Edi Rama

Businessman Luftar Hysa and his three brothers have been mentioned by the Mexican media as being connected to the Sinaloa drug cartel, the most powerful cartel in Mexico.

On October 4, 2020, together with Besnik Lulaj, the owner of Marina Bay in Vlorë, they visited the office of Prime Minister Edi Rama in the company of the CDU-CSU German deputy, Mark Hauptmann and Dorian Dučkës, who at that time was an advisor to the Prime Minister for foreign investment. Ducka, known as Person B in the US indictment against former FBI agent Charles McGonigal, has been a point of contact between Hysa and the prime minister. Charles McGnigal has pleaded guilty, both in the 'Russian file' and the 'Albanian' file, and is set to be sentenced in February next year.

What was the Mexican media El Universal reporting?

The article stated that the cartel leader Ismael Zambada Garcia, also known as El Mayo, has established close ties with the Albanian brothers Luftar, Arben, Fatos, and Ramiz Hysa.

The four brothers are partners with Besnik Lulajn, the owner of Marina Bay in Vlora. According to intelligence sources consulted by 'EL UNIVERSAL,' the four Albanians own a network of casinos and businesses in Sonora, Baja California, and Quintana Roo, in which they launder millions of dollars from organized crime, together with lawyers.

In addition, they invest large sums of money in Albania to clean them, in investments focused on gambling activities and in the field of tourism, where Lulaj is a partner.

Hysaj's reaction

In an interview on Albanian television last year, Mr. Hysa said that he owns more than ten businesses "all over Mexico," which are turning out to be "very profitable and very profitable."

"Our activities are gambling, restaurants, bars," he explained. He denied connection with the cartels and said he had never met "El Mayo."

"I run legitimate businesses, I do things as the law allows, and the only assets I have are my charisma and intelligence," said Luftar Hysa in an interview for Albanian television.