Joint investigation team leads to dismantling of one of Europe’s most active Albanian-speaking networks trafficking cocaine into Europe

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Joint investigation team leads to dismantling of one of Europe’s most active Albanian-speaking networks trafficking cocaine into Europe

• The following authorities took part in this investigation:
  • Italy: The Public Prosecutor’s Office of Florence (Procura della Repubblica di Firenze), the State Police (Polizia di Stato),
  • The Netherlands: Public Prosecutor’s Office Amsterdam (OM Amsterdam), Financial and Economic crime unit Amsterdam (Finec), National Police (Politie)
  • Greece: Hellenic Police (Ελληνική Αστυνομία)
  • Hungary: National Police, Bács-Kiskun County Police Headquarters (Bács-Kiskun Megyei Rendőr-főkapitányság) and Chief Prosecution Office of Bács-Kiskun County (Bács-Kiskun Megyei Főügyészség)
  • Romania: Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT), Prosecutor’s Office attached to the Iasi Court of Appeal (Parchetul de pe langa Curtea de Apel Iasi), Iasi Brigade for Countering Organized Crime (BCCO Iasi), Iasi County Police – Criminal Investigations Department (IPJ Iasi - SIC)
  • Germany: Federal Criminal Police Office (Bundeskriminalamt), Public Prosecutor’s Offices Lübeck, Duisburg, Mönchengladbach and Berlin, State Criminal Police Office (Landeskriminalamt) of Schleswig Holstein, Bavaria, North-Rhine Westphalia and Berlin.
  • Spain: National Police (Policía Nacional), Investigate Court number 6 in Valencia and Public Prosecution Office Valencia (Fiscalia Superior de la Comunidad Valenciana)
  • United Kingdom: National Crime Agency
  • Albania: State Police (Policia e Shtetit)
  • Emirate of Dubai: Dubai Police Force (القيادة العامة لشرطة دبي‎)
  • The suspects have been placed in pre-trial detention for international narcotic substances trafficking, illegal possession and distribution of drugs and brutal assaults, including murder.
  • These arrests follow those of 84 other members of this criminal group early on in the investigation in Italy, Ecuador, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Germany.
  • Close to 4 tonnes of cocaine and over 5.5 million in cash were seized over the course of this investigation.
  • A sophisticated business model

    For years, international importers of cocaine worked separately from the wholesalers and the gangs distributing the drug on the streets.

  • The cocaine was smuggled across European borders concealed in vehicles equipped with sophisticated hidden compartments.
  • The criminals laundered their proceeds using an underground alternative remittance system of Chinese origin, known as the fei chien system.
  • A joint Operational Command Room was set up at Europols headquarters to coordinate the different actions taking place simultaneously across all the countries involved.
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