Europol hits the largest Albanian-speaking group of cocaine traffickers
2022-02-15 15:54:36
TiranaPost
The European Law Enforcement Agency (Europol) said 45 people had been arrested in a joint operation against drug traffickers. Europol said the operation was "a blow by Albanian-speaking criminals who have flooded Europe with cocaine".
This major operation, which has taken place mainly in Spain and Belgium, is estimated to be part of extensive operations against the importation of large quantities of drugs from Latin America.
"An international operation, with the involvement of law enforcement authorities in seven countries, has resulted in the destruction of one of the most active Albanian-speaking trafficking networks in Europe. "Today, Eurojust and Europol supported the actions in Belgium and Spain, during which over 80 locations were raided and 45 suspects were arrested", it is said in the announcement of this agency of the European Union that has its headquarters in The Hague, the Netherlands.
The detainees allegedly imported cocaine from Latin America to several countries in Europe, organized the transportation of drugs by plane, ship, car and truck, and led the sales market.
Spain and other EU countries, according to Europol, have been used as hiding places.
Europol said that "this high-level criminal network has set up a number of companies in different countries to launder money, including in Croatia and Spain. "Members of this group have often traveled to Dubai, Mexico and Colombia to arrange their illegal businesses, using encrypted communication to coordinate their activities."
The operation was attended by 600 officers from Belgium, Spain, Croatia, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and the United States, who have hired officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The operation started in 2018 and is one of the largest supported by Europol and Eurojust.
Article originally published on REL
