Flash News

E-TJERA

Dismantling the cocaine gang and arresting Albanians, SPAK explains how the drug 'bosses' were discovered

Dismantling the cocaine gang and arresting Albanians, SPAK explains how the drug

SPAK provided details regarding the operation with Italian authorities where the "Elbasan" group was hit.

It was Italian authorities who dismantled the criminal group that trafficked cocaine by vehicle from South America to Italy and other Central European countries. 

Five Albanians accused of being members of the group have been located and arrested in Albania for extradition purposes.

Igli Dervishi, Shkelqim Pashja, Ervin Dema, Edmond Zhuja and Genti Berisha were arrested.

Full announcement:

Under the coordination of the Special Prosecutor's Office against Corruption and Organized Crime and the Brescia Prosecutor's Office, in the early hours of the morning of 21.01.2025, the ICARO operation was finalized, in Albania and Italy, with the execution of 12 security measures "prison arrest" and 8 measures of "interrogation of persons under investigation". The persons against whom the security measures were executed were part of a criminal organization of illegal trafficking of narcotics, mainly cocaine from South America.

Officers of the General Directorate of the Albanian Police and the Italian Police, under the coordination of the Anti-Mafia Directorate of the Brescia Prosecutor's Office and SPAK, carried out numerous checks in Albania as well as in the provinces of Brescia, Milan, Turin, Verona, Bolzano, Cremona, Novara, Pavia, Trento and Treviso, where the execution of security measures was made possible.

On 21.01.2025, in Albania, the following Albanian citizens were arrested for extradition purposes: Sh.P., ID, ED, E.Zh., GB. While the arrest of MM was not possible, as he is wanted.

The investigations began in the second half of 2020, after the distribution of cocaine-type narcotics was recorded in several bars in the Lago di Garda area in Italy, and were carried out under the auspices of EUROJUST, within the framework of a joint investigative team between the Brescia Prosecutor's Office and SPAK.

There were about 40 Italian and Albanian citizens in the investigation.

After identifying the cocaine suppliers, based on the investigations, the organizational chart of an Italian-Albanian criminal organization that dealt with the import of quantities of narcotics from South America has been reconstructed. At the head of this criminal organization are two Albanian brothers from Elbasan, GP, and Sh.P. They gave instructions to a trusted group in the Brescia area and other provinces of Northern Italy, where they carried out an extensive activity of importing and selling narcotics, mainly cocaine. This organization has enabled all phases of trafficking, from storage, distribution and collection of profits, which were then delivered to the organization's leaders in Albania, through a proven system, using bus drivers on the Brescia - Elbasan line.

In November 2021, the arrest of one of the persons under investigation was carried out, who would send a quantity of 350 kg of cocaine to the organization, which carried out its activity in the Brescia area.

Members of the criminal organization have used "encrypted" phones, the analysis of which has also resulted in their involvement within this Albanian criminal organization dedicated to the international trafficking of hundreds of kilograms of narcotics, mainly cocaine. Investigations have confirmed the fact that the leaders of this organization, in order to carry out agreements with suppliers, have systematically traveled to Colombia, Ecuador and the United Arab Emirates, Dubai, where some of the Albanian traffickers are located.

 

Latest news

2025-02-15 13:01:41