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“The 'Trojan Horse' of the Balkans”/ Arte Europe: Albania, is the EU flirting with a narco-state?

2025-11-14 12:09:00, Aktualitet CNA

“The 'Trojan Horse' of the Balkans”/ Arte Europe: Albania,

A 14-minute investigative documentary by ARTE Europe, a German-French public European television channel, raises the alarm about the links between Albanian organized crime and state institutions, questioning the European Union's approach to Albania and its accession process.

According to ARTE and sources such as Europol, the Albanian mafia has become one of the five most dangerous cocaine trafficking networks in Europe, controlling routes from Latin America to the main ports of the EU. Albanian groups operate in Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, France, Germany and the UK and have become key players in the cocaine market on the continent. The documentary highlights that the infiltration of the gangs reaches the heart of the Albanian state, in the government, local authorities, and the judicial system.

The documentary cites Swiss journalist Antoine Harari's investigations into Albanian criminal networks.

“The 'Trojan Horse' of the Balkans”/ Arte Europe: Albania,

"The Albanian mafia has been able to take control of drug supply routes, especially cocaine, as that is where the biggest profits are. It has also created direct links with the cartels of Colombia and Mexico, completely excluding other European mafia groups," Swiss journalist Antoine Harari told ARTE, among other things.

The criticism centers on Prime Minister Edi Rama, accused of turning a blind eye to the activities of criminal clans. It is also mentioned that senior officials are behind bars, such as the case of Erion Veliaj, the mayor of Tirana, arrested for money laundering.

" His mandate raises doubts; the opposition and some international observers question the transparency of the elections. And even more worrying: Rama is suspected of at least turning a blind eye to the criminal activity of the clans. Scandals have increased around him: his brother has been implicated in a drug trafficking case, the mayor of Tirana has been arrested for money laundering, and some of his close people are linked to the Sinaloa cartel itself ," the documentary says.

Andreas Schieder, author of the European Commission's report on Albania, in an interview with ARTE, praises the work of SPAK, while emphasizing that several ministers from Edi Rama's mandate face charges and are in detention.

“The 'Trojan Horse' of the Balkans”/ Arte Europe: Albania,

" With SPAK, the Special Prosecution Office against Corruption and Organized Crime, Albania has appointed a special prosecutor for a nine-year term, who works strictly independently. In many cases, this prosecutor has requested investigations, arrests and, in some cases, even judicial proceedings. Several ministers from Edi Rama's mandate are facing charges and are in detention. This strongly suggests that the authorities are pursuing a tough stance and are conducting investigations regardless of political position and political connections, even if they are in the political sphere ," says Schieder.

Regarding vetting in the judiciary, he adds: " This means that all judicial officials, judges, public prosecutors and the like, went through a vetting process. What does that mean? They were screened for any suspicious activity, ongoing cases or involvement in corruption. And I believe over 800 of them were excluded as part of this process."

The documentary highlights that on October 4, 2020, Prime Minister Edi Rama was visited by a well-known Albanian businessman, Luftar Hysa, a gambling tycoon accused of money laundering and with suspected links to the Sinaloa cartel. It is not known exactly what they talked about, but just two months later, Hysa received the green light to open two new casinos, one in Tirana and one in Vlora, considered the other capital of money laundering. At first, Rama denied knowing him, but later admitted that the meeting took place.

" He often surrounds himself with people who have subsequently ended up convicted due to links to organized crime. Organized crime has infiltrated the government and the political sphere. I'm not saying this, but the King's Prosecutor in Belgium, Julien Moini, and the former magistrates who have investigated, as well as the police officers who have told us that cocaine is Albania's 'Marshall Plan.' It's like a pact that Edi Rama has made with the devil that allows him, even though his country's economy is in recession, to attract more development and investment, because that money is filling the state's coffers ," Swiss journalist Antoine Harari told ARTE, among other things.

Another incident mentioned in the documentary is from 2013. "Policeman Dritan Zagani stops a vehicle transporting drugs. But there is a very significant detail: the car belonged to Saimir Tahiri, then Minister of Interior of Albania. At the wheel, his cousin, a drug trafficker convicted in Italy. The irony of fate: it is not the minister who ends up in prison, but the policeman. Years later, in 2022, after new investigations in Italy, the former minister himself is sentenced to 3 and a half years in prison. He serves only one year and is released on parole. Meanwhile, Zagani flees to Switzerland and seeks asylum. For him, the situation is illogical," says ARTE.

“The 'Trojan Horse' of the Balkans”/ Arte Europe: Albania,

"And for the same thing he was convicted of abuse of office, the Albanian courts accused me of the same criminal offense and sentenced me to seven years in prison. It is absurd. Either I lied and he should not have been convicted or he was convicted and I told the truth," said Dritan Zagani in an interview with ARTE.

While Brussels considers Albania one of the most advanced countries towards membership, criticism is mounting that the EU is turning a blind eye for geopolitical reasons. Albania's strategic position in the Adriatic, cooperation with NATO, the migrant shelter agreement with Italy and the fear of Russian influence in the region, according to the documentary, make Tirana a partner that Brussels does not want to lose.

The documentary also mentions the government's attempt to create an image of transparency, including the introduction of the "Minister of Public Procurement" with Artificial Intelligence, Diella, which according to ARTE is a media maneuver, while raising the question of who really controls this system?

ARTE emphasizes in the documentary: "Is Albania a model candidate for the EU or does it risk becoming a 'Trojan horse' for drug traffickers within Europe?"

With a battered economy, widespread poverty, unemployed youth and vast funds circulating in dubious channels, the documentary questions whether the EU billions that will come after accession will go to development or into the hands of the mafia.

The documentary ends with the warning that if Albania enters the EU without guaranteeing a real fight against corruption and organized crime, the risk does not only belong to Tirana, but to all of Europe.

Andreas Schieder, author of the European Commission's report on Albania, in an interview given to ARTE, praised the work of SPAK and on the other hand emphasized that several ministers face charges and are in detention./ CNA