Italian police working in coordination with Interpol and the police forces of Albania and Spain, have made 11 arrests during a raid on suspected Albanian drug traffickers in Rome on Thursday.
The raid, which was coordinated by the Anti-Mafia Directorate of the public prosecutor’s office, targeted a group of Albanian and Italian criminals suspected of importing cocaine from Spain and Holland and distributing it throughout the Roman region.
As part of the investigation, a house in the Anagina district of Rome was searched by officers of the Carabinieri where they discovered 4 kg of cocaine that was tested as 92 percent pure, as well as drugs packaging and documentation thought to show drug related transactions.
Two people with international warrants out for their arrest were apprehended in the house and taken into custody. The investigation into the gangs activities that culminated in today’s arrests had been conducted for several months under the code name “Nadir” by the Carabinieri under the direction of the Roman District Attorney.
Overall, 31 mostly Albanian suspects, have been arrested as part of the investigation, of whom 12 were arrested in the act of selling drugs. Some 4,640 kg of cocaine and 1,050 kg of hashish have been seized in addition to the sum of € 36,860.00 in cash, the proceeds from criminal activity.
Albanian crime gangs have established a presence alongside the traditional mafia organisations in Italy, specialising in people and drug smuggling, often conducted via the Adriatic sea route which allows for trafficking of contraband with relative ease.
According to the latest available figures 280 Albanians were arrested on organised crime related charges in Italy in 2016.
