Authorities in Italy and Albania, supported by the European judicial cooperation agency Eurojust, arrested 52 suspects in a coordinated crackdown targeting three linked organized crime groups involved in large-scale drug trafficking and money laundering.
The arrests include individuals believed to be at the highest levels in the hierarchies of the gangs, Eurojust said in a statement Wednesday.
The operation disrupted criminal networks trafficking cocaine, heroin, and cannabis across the Balkans, Northern Europe, South America, and southern Italy. Raids yielded millions of euros in seized assets, including luxury vehicles, apartments, companies, cash, and significant quantities of narcotics.
The investigation began in 2016 through cooperation between Italy’s Public Prosecutor’s Office in Bari and Albania’s Special Anti-Corruption and Organized Crime Prosecutor’s Office in Tirana. Since then, joint efforts uncovered trafficking routes and money laundering schemes involving nearly five million euros ($5.66 million) in cash payments and at least 1,800 kilograms of cocaine and heroin.
Albanian groups based in the port city of Durres managed transport and wholesale distribution, while Italian gangs in Bari, Brindisi, and Lecce handled cutting and packaging before supplying local dealers, according to Eurojust.
The operation was coordinated through a joint investigation team set up by Eurojust to facilitate cooperation between the two countries. Their work included wiretaps, video surveillance, and decrypting encrypted messages. Eurojust also provided vital cross-border judicial support, including Mutual Legal Assistance requests on the day of the raids.
Between 2018 and 2021, similar cooperation led to 118 arrests in the region, with several traffickers sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.
