Europol hits biggest Albanian cocaine trafficking group

This major operation, which was conducted mainly in Spain and Belgium, is estimated to be within the framework of extensive anti-Import operations in large quantities of drugs from Latin America.

An international operation, with the involvement of rule of law authorities in seven states, has resulted in the break-up of one of the Albanian-speaking trafficking networks, the most active in Europe. Today, Eurojust and Europol supported the stake in Belgium and Spain, during which more than 80 locations were raided and 45 suspects were arrested”, said the report of this European Union agency, which has headquarters in The Hague of the Netherlands.

The detainees allegedly imported cocaine from Latin America to several countries in Europe, organising the transport of drugs through aircraft, ships, cars and trucks, and led the market.

Spain and other EU states, according to Europol, have been used as countries to hide their activity.

Europol said that “this high-level criminal network has established a series of companies in different states 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.

600 officers from Belgium, Spain, Croatia, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and the United States of America, who have engaged officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), have participated.

The operation was launched in 2018 and is one of the largest to have backed Europol and Eurojust. / REL/