London – British police are facing an Albanian crime wave with 50 thugs arrested each week amid a surge
in drug-related gang warfare, according to the Daily Mail – while the UK Home Office seems incapable of dealing with the real problem of fake identities of this large immigrant group in Britain’s streets.
New data from the UK National Crime Agency shows that tens of Albanians are being arrested weekly in Britain’s streets for murder, trafficking, money laundering and drug related crimes, confirming earlier concerns that Albanian crime, known for its ruthlessness and brutal means, is becoming a significant threat to the UK.
The Daily Mail noted that ‘organised crime groups from the former Communist country now have huge influence on supplying cocaine around the country – and were willing to inflict serious violence to protect their lucrative illegal market.
In total last year, police arrested Albanian crime suspects 2,781 times – up 8 per cent on the 2,578 held in 2015.
It suggests around 1 in 11 of the 32,000 Albanian-born residents in England and Wales were detained, although some individuals may have been taken into custody more than once. There were 649 Albanian inmates in jails at the end of June, making them the third largest foreign group.
A NCA report revealed that criminals from the Balkans were increasingly forging direct links with cocaine traffickers from South America.
‘The threat faced from Albanian crime groups is significant. London is their primary hub, but they are established across the UK,’ said the document. In the capital, a total of 1,325 Albanians were arrested – up 14 per cent year-on-year.
The next highest number was the West Midlands with 225, followed by Sussex (140), Greater Manchester (107) and Kent (95). In one case last year, a gang of 20 Albanian gangsters, known in underworld circles simply as ‘The Albanians’, using fake Greek and Italian passports ran a round-the-clock dial-a-drug racket in Manchester, targeting the city’s nightclubs while living in lavishly decorated flats.
However, the Home Office, UK’s interior ministry, has constantly refused to deal with the real problem.
Thousands of Albanians allowed into the UK in the past decade, are suspected of adopting bogus identities from neighbouring Kosovo, claiming persecution during the regional conflict 18 years ago.
These individuals have been born under a different name in Albania and registered as Kosovan citizens in the UK, making it almost impossible to prosecute them under Albania’s jurisdiction.
Despite several attempts from Albanian NGO’s and authorities to work with the British Home Office to clarify the identity of such a large group of immigrants, there has been reluctance from the UK, fearing a larger scandal may reveal the incompetence of the Home Office to deal with the growing problem over the past years.
Copyright 2017 Tirana Echo. Source: Daily Mail