Agron Xhafaj, the brother of the Albanian Interior Minister Fatmir Xhafaj, has arrived in Italy after declaring today he would go there to suffer the conviction of seven years and two months in prison for drugs traffic. Xhafaj was sentenced in 2012 by the Court of Lecce, but has never spent a day in prison and moved freely in Albania. After repeated accusations from the Albanian opposition that the Interior Minister was protecting his brother from being arrested and extradited to Italy, Xhafaj wrote a public letter, saying he would go to Italy, a gesture that was widely seen as an effort to save his brother’s political career.

Former Premier has written Agron Xhafaj has arrived in Rome, where he has been handcuffed by the Italian police.

“The drugs baron Agron Xhafaj is received by the Italian police at Rome’s airport”, Berisha wrote, publishing the message he had received from a traveler, saying the Italian police officers took Xhafaj away as soon as he landed.