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Cars full of pounds towards Tirana, 4 Albanians are arrested in Britain, they cleaned the money of criminal groups

Politiko 2024-04-16 10:01:09

Cars full of pounds towards Tirana, 4 Albanians are arrested in Britain, they

Four suspected members of an organized crime group involved in laundering criminal money abroad and in Albania have been arrested in an investigation by the National Crime Agency.

The suspects were arrested on April 13 in a series of coordinated raids that began with the arrest of a 48-year-old Albanian national in Dover. Approximately £200,000 in cash was seized from his vehicle, which is believed to have been on its way to Albania.

Two other men, aged 34 and 22, and a 17-year-old boy were arrested at addresses in Tottenham Hale, London, and around £150,000 in cash was seized from a second vehicle.

The NCA , working alongside the Border Force, have been investigating the group for two years. Officers believe that OCG operates under the guise of a legitimate courier company, but specializes in transferring illicit money of other Albanian-run OCGs abroad to Albania.

The investigation began in February 2022 after Border Force stopped the 48-year-old at the Channel Tunnel checkpoints in Folkestone, Kent.

On that occasion, inside his Mercedes Sprinter van - which was headed for Tirana - officers found a total of £390,000 wrapped in various tin packages.

The suspect's home in Haringey, London, was searched and officers discovered a further £150,000 in cash. The 34-year-old was previously arrested in September 2022 when officers discovered more than £20,000 in his car.

In August 2023, a further £43,980 was seized, believed to be destined for transport by the group.

Both men remained under investigation until they were arrested again on Saturday. They have since been released on bail.

The 22-year-old man and the 17-year-old boy were released under investigation pending further enquiries.

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