Several Police Arrested Over Massive Drug Trafficking Scandal in Albania’s Main Port

Tirana, Albania | Tirana Echo – At least 18 police and customs officials have been arrested in the Albanian Port of Durrës and Border Point of ‘Qafë Thanë’ over huge amounts of drugs trafficked from Albania into Italy in the last two months.

The Serious Crimes Prosecutor said they have arrested 10 people in Durrës and 8 others in Qafe Thanë over 10 tons of cannabis sativa which had been shipped from Albania to Italy in February and March 2017.

The Prosecutor has confirmed the arrests were the result of credible information provided by Italian authorities which indicate an organized trend of drug trafficking and cooperation between border customs officials and police in Durrës.

Arrests come 10 days after another 12 tons of dried cannabis were found on storage facility in the village of Pagri close to the southern Albanian town of Përmet which prompted the dismissal of almost all senior police chiefs in the region of Përmet who are now under investigation and disciplinary proceedings.

Albania’s public opinion has been invaded by stories of cannabis cultivation and trafficking, with Italian Guardia di Finanza saying the amount of drugs coming from Albania has tripled in the last year alone.

Opposition leader Lulzim Basha accuses Prime Minister Edi Rama of turning a blind eye to the drug cultivation, adding that police chiefs are closely linked to drug barons and traffickers operating in the area. The opposition is currently demanding the PM’s resignation on grounds that drug money may be used by criminals to buy votes in upcoming elections planned for June 18.

The government denies these claims saying the police have seized much larger quantities than ever before, referring to opposition democrats’ time in power before 2013.

Rama dismissed his interior minister Saimir Tahiri last month who was under heavy accusation for cooperating with drug traffickers, replacing him with socialist hardliner Fatmir Xhafaj, who promised a new fight against cannabis cultivation, despite opposition opposing his appointment.

Last February, OSCE Ambassador to Tirana Bernd Borchardt said that €2bn Euros cannabis money may be circulated to buy MPs ahead of Albania’s upcoming general elections of June 18.

Experts have warned that the massive cultivation of cannabis sativa across Albania will have detrimental effects on the future of national agriculture production and will harm the economy of Albania, as this hugely profitable criminal activity is capturing massive land parcels, lures local workforce and may deregulate real estate and tourism sectors due to a rise in money laundering and tax evasion.