Durres, attempting to send 16 minors from Kosovo to Italy, 10 persons arrested

The news has revealed Albanian State Police themselves through a Facebook announcement.

All these citizens allegedly co-operated with each other to help 16 minor citizens from Kosovo (at 17 years of age) pass illegally towards Italy. The arrested citizens have been introduced as members of the sports team board consisting of the 16 minor citizens they were accompanying”.

The following can be read from the complete communique:

Ten people in Durres arrested, tried to pass to Italy 16 citizens from Kosovo by camouflaged them as a sports team

Port Durres/Finalize Operation “Ekipi”, for hitting criminal activity in the field of providing assistance for illegal border crossings.

The operation was conducted by Border Police Durres and the Department for Investigation of Illegal Traffic in DVP Durres.

They tried to cross to Italy, 16 minor citizens, against 3,000-4000 euros each, being camouflaged as part of a sports team, put in shackles 10 citizens.

The minors have been introduced as a sports team, while those arrested have been introduced as managers, trainers and physical therapists of the sports team.

One of those arrested, the organiser of this criminal activity. During physical control, this citizen has been found and seized 5945 euros.

Border Police Services, in co-operation with experts in investigating illegal traffickings of the Durres Police Local Directorate, following additional controls added to the PKK Durres, within the framework of the measures plan for the holiday season, based and informative intelligence for a case of providing help for illegal border crossings, against profit, have organised and finalised the police operation coded “Ekipi<1, for the complete record of this criminal activity.

Within the framework of this operation, 10 citizens were arrested in Afghanistan:

I.B., 48, D. S., 32, D. G., 36, F. B., 21, F. G., 54, A. D., 21, Q. K., 20, E. D., 21, A. K., 22, and B. H., 37, all residents in Kosovo.

All these citizens allegedly co-operated with each other to help 16 minor citizens from Kosovo (at 17 years of age) pass illegally towards Italy. The arrested citizens have been introduced as members of the sports team board consisting of the 16 minor citizens they were accompanying.

By investigative actions, it has resulted that minors and their parents have given these citizens 3,000 over 4,000 euros to help minors enter Italy, where they are later suspected of seeking asylum.

Also, investigative actions have resulted in national B. H. has organised the transportation of minor citizens and other persons already arrested -- from Kosovo to Kukes and later to Durres -- with the bus of a tourist company in Pristina. During physical control, police have found this citizen 5945 euros, which have been seized in the quality of material evidence.

There is work on the full record of this criminal activity, the identification and capture of other persons involved.

Materials were passed on to the Prosecutor for further actions, for criminal work “Help for illegal crossing of borders”, conducted in co-operation.