European police break up transnational drug ring, arrest 59 suspects

European police have dismantled a gang running a transnational drug trafficking and transport network based in Albania and Italy, arresting 59 suspects.

The suspects were arrested in Albania, Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain in raids on February 5 and 6, along with 10 others who were subject to measures preventing them from leaving their places of residence in Italy.

European police break up international drug ring, arrest 59 suspects — Spanish police seized 11 tons of cocaine in an arrest also linked to Albanian mafia organizations last December - Photo: DW

“The network mainly smuggled heroin, cocaine, hashish and cannabis into Germany and Spain using double-bottomed cars or secret compartments,” said Eurojust, the European justice agency.

Investigations into this organized crime group have been conducted by the Florence Prosecutor's Office since 2019 in collaboration with Eurojust and the European Police Agency (Europol), facilitating cooperation between law enforcement agencies across the continent.

This cross-border operation comes not long after the seizure of 11 tonnes of cocaine in Spain in December 2023 imported by Albanian gangs, with 20 suspects arrested in a raid.

Spanish police authorities commented at the time that a "Balkan cartel" consisting mostly of Albanian mafia groups was primarily responsible for the cocaine and that they also manipulated the drug's transport across Europe and Latin America.

Quang Anh (according to DW, Eurojust, AFP)

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