Albanian-Co-Co-commuginal Chronology in cocaine trade

2001/ First case “

It was the most exciting time operation that led senior officials to police and prosecutors who had established connections with Colombian cartels for bringing large quantities of cocaine to Albania. The operation included 7 states and several foreign intelligence agencies announcing Albanian counterparts of the time.

Former judicial police chief Sokol Kocia was put in handcuffs. At the top of this whole network was denoted by Frederick Durda. According to the timely investigation, he had travelled to Colombia, where he had established contact with Pablo Escobar's cartel. Investigators said they own pictures of Durda on private helicopter boards, or by villas and race horses in Colombia. In Albania, from June 19, 1999, 4 Colombians visited.

He had promised to manage tons of drugs that would start their journey from Colombia to Venezuela to Spain. He had planned construction of a laboratory in Albania. The plan was for his ship “Privile” to travel towards Spain to load in greenhouses. The shipment, which had arrived from Colombia through the Spanish mafia fields, would be housed in the double layer of the Albanian ship that sailed on the malt. From there it would end up in Vlora. It would help court police chief Sokol Kocia. After processing drugs, I will start in Italy with scans and gomones.

In August 2000, a six-ton cocaine ship destined for Europe was seized in Venezuela, while 2 tonnes more were discovered in the Netherlands. From Albania, Durda's ship had been launched to load up the first “”, but the crew was ordered to return. During the search by Spanish authorities, nothing was found except a double coat on board, he is suspected of hiding drugs.

For six months the ship's owners were kept on surveillance until 21 persons in 7 countries were put in handcuffs on February 2, 2001. Seven warrants were cut off in Albania. Frederik Durda, Arben Berballa, Sokol Kociu, Dean Gjonaj, Webi Hysa and Alfred Nanaj were sentenced to only 66 years in total prison.

2011/ Cocaine Hidden in Palm Oil

On November 6, 2012, the Randa Crime Court sentenced Dimitris (Vulnet) Harizaj to 17 years in prison for accusing Columbian trafficking in Albania of 200kg of cocaine dissolved in palm oil. Because of his reduced trial, he was sentenced to only 11 years and 4 months of freedom. It was about the trafficking of 200kg of Colombian cocaine in Albania. She never arrived in our country, but “picked up the police of several European states in March 2011.

Narcotics was observed by Spanish authorities, who were investigating a line of Colombia-European cocaine trafficking. The arrival of the container, where the oil of the molten palm was found, was kept in observation all the way thanks to a police collaboration of the respective countries. According to the prosecution, the name of Dimitris Harimzaj “appeared on stage” when the container was located at the port of “Anteprep”, in Belgium, and was expected for the persons who would take over. Harizaj was shown in this country as the person who ordered a Macedonian transport company to transport the container to Albania.

In Belgium, the authorities replaced the container load with water, but its route did not “collapse”. In the empty container of drugs, satellite GPS signals were placed to keep his further movement in check. According to the prosecution, from GPS tracking proved that the truck has passed from Belgium to Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia, and recently, on March 20, 2011, by Macedonia has entered Albanian territory, through the point of the Qafe-Thana border crossing.

According to the prosecution, Harizaj had full information on the origin and movement of the goods, is the person who ordered this shipment, has paid the goods, <x0wei of the palm”, has paid the money for the rent and penalties of the container in Belgium, and has paid the amount of money that would serve for the delivery of the cargo that was in the upper container in the Karkajjeta customs of Gjirokastra, Albania. The prosecution presented as proof even a telephone wiretapping carried out by Spanish authorities, through which the prosecution claimed to prove an Albanian involvement in the organisation and realisation of cocaine trafficking.

2014/ Cocaine captured in Montenegro

A total of 250kg of cocaine substance is seized by Montenegrin customs authorities at the southern port of Bar. Cocaine, which is actually the largest amount ever captured by Montenegro, was discovered on a ship carrying bananas from South America, (Equador) and destined Albania. The amount of narcotic matter was found hidden under the floor of one of the containers and divided into 200 packages, while the value of narcotics if it was to be thrown into the market amounts to $17 million. The shipment of bananas was ordered by the company “Rrapo Company” based in Fier with owners Dritan and Nezice Rerapaj. They were arrested but then released for lack of evidence.

2014/ Cocaine lab at Red Fushe

A heroin and cocaine laboratory was discovered in the Lachi area in June 2014, where automatic weapons, snipers, and explosives were seized in addition to large quantities of drugs. The move has been a chemist, allegedly working for the traffic network, has gone from Tirana to Pristina. In handcuffs, 7 persons, 4 in Tirana, Lac and Morina and 3 others in Kosovo, including chemist Valentina Tufa. About 74 kilos of cocaine was discovered. The leader of this network was Joy Chela still on the run.

During the operation, they were found at a villa in Lachi Red Field and 850 liters of mixture, an armoured vehicle, as well as weapons and ammunition. This facility was allegedly converted into a drug laboratory where the mixture, division, and weight of narcotics were mixed with the relevant tools. A villa vault found 143 thousand euros, several expensive hours and various jewelry. Another laboratory was discovered in Pristina, just where the quality of narcotics was controlled before it was launched in Albania.

2015/ Xibraca laboratory

It was January 2015 when Interpol and Europol were involved in a massive cocaine processing laboratory in the village of Elbasan. Police said they discovered 100kg of pure cocaine, as well as 4 tonnes of cocaine mixer in the biggest drug laboratory discovered in the Balkans. Thirteen people ended up in handcuffs, 11 Albanians and two Colombians in the laboratory at the moment of the action.

The operation was organised by Interpol and Europol after a several-month investigation, resulting in drugs arriving mixed with palm oil from Latin American countries, and it was divided. Later, drugs were the destination of European countries. During the operation, former dictator Enver Hoxha's nephew and the husband of the singer Rzazarta February was also arrested.

After a marathon in the courts, the Wind Crimes Appeal sentenced 9 indictees to only 69 years in prison from 104 years since the first-degree court issued. All the defendants won a one-third sentence. The group's leader, Genc Dzija, sentenced him in absentia to eight years and eight months in prison. While Ermal Hoxha, grandson of former dictator Enver Hoxha, was sentenced to 6 years and 8 months. Two Colombians Cesar Avila and Walter Moreno were sentenced to a four-year sentence on the First St. Former Prime Minister Sali Berisha has repeatedly charged that Olsi Rama, brother of Prime Minister Edi Rama, was behind this laboratory.

2018. The sixth true

The sixth case of cocaine seizure in Albania is, of course, the seizure of 613kg of cocaine in the port of Durres. She had arrived from Colombia in a banana container for a company in Momnas, Durres. Two people are in handcuffs while others are on the run. The value of seized drugs amounts to over 180m euros. © prepare LAPSI.al