Albanian drug organisation destroyed in Italy, 8 arrest warrants

Operation code “ST RL ONE”, developed by Reggio Emilia Police, under the co-ordination of the Bolones-Directorial Antimafia District, and included the execution of the security measure “prison arrest”, approved by the Criminal Investigation Court in Bologna. Arrests and raids have been conducted in several provinces in Italy, including Reggio Emilia, Bergamo, Brescia and Savona, as well as in France, Spain and Albania, thanks to co-operation with Albanian police and criminal police.

Investigations are following previous operations “T REXIT 2019” and “B LACK MAMBA”, which in 2021 and 2022 had led to the arrest of 35 people. The investigation results in the organisation's having high logistics and financial capacity, importing large quantities of cocaine, hashish and marijuana from South America, Northern Europe and Spain, hidden in truckloads of vegetables.

In just six months, the criminal group allegedly distributed over 200kg of cocaine and about 1 tonnes of weed and marijuana, generating profits in millions of euros. Members of the organisation communicated via coded platform “SkyeCC”, which was dismissed by French authorities at the end of 2020, paving the way for the whiteening of criminal activity.

In total, there are 15 people under investigation, while drugs, cash and communication tools were seized during the raids. During a raid on Brescia, a Moroccan citizen was arrested in the area with over 3kg of drugs and 5800 euros. Italian authorities described the operation as a strong blow to the criminal organisation's dome. /Periscope/