After almost every operation of the Italian or Greek police that result with the seizure of tons of cannabis, the Albanian police either deny any implication from our side or, even worse, praise themselves with the success of the neighbours’ police, with the pretention of providing them with key intelligence.

The same happened in the occasion of the record quantity of 8 tons seized in Venice on 4^th of February from the Italian police, in a lorry that only according to papers had departed from Macedonia and had transited through the customs of Qafë Thanë and Durrës en route to Ancona.

The Italian media discovered it was a scheme, where Albanian border police and customs officials were involved. The Albanian media echoed the news, but the press office of the Directorate General of the State Police denied all allegations a week later, on 11 February.

However, after a successful operation of the Prosecution of Serious Crimes in cooperation with their Italian counterparts, the whole scheme was revealed, including the denied occasion of February. There are 18 arrest warrants for as many customs and police officials who, collaborating with the cannabis traffickers, have made possible in at least two proved occasions the “legal” passage of 10 tons of drug, with the one of 11 February as the most notorious case, which was categorically denied by the State Police.

Police press release of 11 February 2017

“The Italian police have confirmed that Albania has not been involved in the sequestration of 8 tons of narcotic in Venice, as alleged in the media. The confirmation comes from the Central Directory of Anti-Drugs Service. The investigation is classified and performed by three prosecution offices in Italy. No other details can be given because of the investigative secret, but we confirm there is no one involved from the Albanian side. The criminal organization is led from Macedonian nationals”.

Extracts from the press release of the Prosecution of the Serious Crimes of 16 April 2017

“There are 18 persons, for whom arrest warrants have been issued, which, in cooperation have trafficked 10 tons of drugs to Italy in two different occasions, in February and March 2017. The first time was in 5 February 2017, when a lorry with 8 tons of drugs was seized in Italy, entering to Albania from Macedonia via the Qafë Thanë checking point and leaving the country through the harbour of Durrës. Four police effective of Qafë Thanë police station were arrested for this case a few weeks ago”.