In the criminal case concerning a truck filled with 8 tons of marijuana that was captured in February 2017, the eleven officials under investigation have only been charged with abuse of office and not for international drug trafficking. The Serious Crimes Prosecution has passed the case on to the Prosecution of Durrës.
In February, the truck had passed two border check points without its illegal cargo being discovered, which proved the complete failure of a large number of state institutions. The truck had as final destination Belgium, but managed to pass the border crossings of Qafë-Thanë and Durrës without being detected. The drugs were eventually discovered in Italy.
It is unknown why the eleven officials from the different border crossings and the Durrës Port Authority have only been charged with abuse of office and not the much more serious crime of drug trafficking.
Overall, the Albanian police and judicial system has so far failed to capture any of the leading figures in the Albanian drug market, often targeting only lower level “enablers” or pensioners guarding the drug cultivation sites.
