Three and a half tons of marijuana, cocaine, and hashish have been seized by the Italian police in a joint operation of Bari’s AntiMafia and the Albanian Special Anti-Corruption and Organized Crime Prosecution (SPAK).
37 Albanian and Italian citizens were arrested, believed to be responsible for international drug trafficking. The drugs seized corresponded to about 7 million doses valued at over €40 million. Seizure orders for €4 million are also underway.
The Italian head prosecutor announced that this was the largest operation to ever hit an Albanian-Italian criminal group. SPAK head Arben Kraja said that the Albanian prosecution has been investigating the gang for over 2 years.
EU and US Ambassadors to Albania praised the successful operation.
Brilliant operation against international #drugtrafficking conducted by 🇮🇹 prosecution and police forces and 🇦🇱SPAK and @PoliciaeShtetit, with the support of @Eurojust🇪🇺.
Fight against #organisedcrime is a top priority for the #EU and for #Albania🇦🇱 on its 🇪🇺 accession path. https://t.co/koKdkeIdn0— Luigi Soreca🇪🇺 (@LSorecaEU) June 30, 2020
Congratulations to the SPO for its recent narcotics & organized crime conviction and involvement in the Italian anti-mafia case. Keep up the good work & deliver more results on behalf of the Albanian people: https://t.co/r6xN5TPEK3
— Ambassador Yuri Kim (@USAmbAlbania) June 30, 2020
