SPAK strikes international drug network/ Over 6 tons of drugs worth 411 million euros seized, 16 people under investigation

2025-07-26 15:08:00, Aktualitet CNA

SPAK strikes international drug network/ Over 6 tons of drugs worth 411 million

The Special Prosecution Office against Corruption and Organized Crime (Special Prosecution Office), by decision dated 15.05.2024, has decided to separate the acts from criminal proceedings no. 184/1 of 2021 and register criminal proceedings no. 184/3 of 2024, against 9 (nine) suspected citizens: PD, JM, BP, A. (alias D.,) Sh., R. Rr., G. (alias K., alias E.,) N., ES, BH, and JP, for the criminal offenses of “Trafficking in narcotics” (Article 283/a/1 and Article 28/4), “Structured criminal group” (Article 333/a), and “Committing criminal offenses by a structured criminal group” (Article 334) of the Criminal Code.

Following the investigations, during July 2025, 6 (six) other persons were identified and included in the proceedings: AH, KH, EN, EA, PD and I. Ll., who are suspected of being involved in several drug trafficking episodes. These citizens are also suspected of the same criminal offenses within a structured criminal group.

These investigations were carried out in cooperation with European justice authorities, the National Bureau of Investigation, as well as during the execution phase with the investigation structures of the State Police.

The Special Prosecution Office has filed a request for the imposition of a personal security measure against 7 (seven) persons under investigation, a request which was approved by the Special Court of First Instance for Corruption and Organized Crime (Special Court) with decision no. 77, dated 25.07.2025, imposing the measure "arrest in prison", based on Article 238 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

The decision was immediately executed in cooperation with the State Police structures. On 25.07.2025, it became possible to arrest six people under investigation:

beech

I. Ll.

During the execution of the security measure, 3 pistol-type firearms, held without a permit, were found and seized in the apartment of citizen AH, for which he was arrested in flagrante delicto.

One of the suspects, citizen DP (alias DB, alias ES), has been declared wanted, and efforts are being made to locate and apprehend him in cooperation with the State Police and international partners. In the interests of the investigation, the Special Prosecution Office has requested and received the approval of the Special Court to conduct searches of homes, vehicles and persons.

To date, 5 decisions of the Special Court have been executed, and numerous inspections have been carried out, from which, among other things, the following items and materials have been seized:

Total monetary amount:

Euros: €43,470

Swiss Franc: 5,000 CHF

Vehicles:

3 vehicles, including a Mercedes Benz AMG G63, a Volkswagen Golf 7a, and a Volkswagen Sharan.

Vessel:

1 luxury yacht of the brand "Hull Works Sarock 40", manufactured in 2025, registered in the name of a commercial entity.

Firearm:

3 pistols, with magazines and cartridges.

Luxury watches:

1 Rolex watch, model 126613LN

1 Richard Mille watch, Mclaren model RM50-03/68

Mobile phones:

16 mobile phones, mainly iPhone and Samsung brands, some with active SIM cards.

Bank cards and financial documents:

19 international bank cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express), issued in the name of the persons under investigation.

Banking and financial transaction documents with accounts in the United Arab Emirates, Germany, Italy and Panama.

Electronic equipment:

1 DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise drone, with all related accessories.

8 Hikvision brand hard drives, with a capacity of 6TB each.

1 Hikvision NVR.

2 Baofeng communication radios.

Identification and ownership documentation:

Passport and identity card from authorities in Albania, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom.

Driving license and navigation documents for watercraft.

Ownership certificates, notarial documents, purchase and sale contracts and asset declarations.

Etc.

Drug trafficking episodes

Based on the investigative information collected by the Special Prosecution Office, the activity of this structured criminal group for international drug trafficking has been materialized through a series of episodes developed mainly during the period 2020–2021 in several European Union countries and the United Kingdom.

Episodes of cocaine seizures

Spain – February 2020

Seized 400 kg.

Belgium – April 2020

Seized 989.1 kg.

Channel (France – United Kingdom) – April 2020

250 kg seized in a shipment destined for Great Britain.

Netherlands – June 2020

Over 2000 kg of cocaine seized. The market value of this quantity is estimated at over 151 million euros (Source: https://ëëë.ad.nl/rotterdam/douane-vindt-2020-kilo-cocaine-met-een-ëaarde-van-ruim-151-miljoen-euro-tussen-bananen )

Netherlands – October 2020

Seized 1484.07 kg.

Episodes of hashish seizure

Rimini, Italy – July 2020

Seized 275 kg.

Bari, Italy – March 2021

Seized 400 kg.

Algeciras, Spain – March-September 2020

Approximately 1442 kg were seized, of which 170 kg were suspected to be on behalf of the suspects.

Other episodes

France – February 2020

A vehicle and 72,000 euros in cash were seized.

Modus Operandi

This structured criminal group operated through a sophisticated organization, mainly in the trafficking of cocaine from Latin America to several countries of the European Union and to the United Kingdom. The narcotics came mainly from Santa Marta (Colombia) or Ecuador and were transported by sea containers to major ports such as Antwerp (Belgium), Rotterdam (Netherlands), or by land to France and through the Channel Tunnel to the United Kingdom. In some cases, the cargoes were also unloaded in the ports of Italy and Spain.

According to the prosecutors in the case, Mr. Altin Dumani and Mr. Adnan Xholi:

"The organizational structure of this criminal group, with an extension to several continents and with 16 members identified so far, proves the high level of sophistication of Albanian criminal groups, their capabilities and their reach into international criminal markets."

Drug transport was characterized by sophisticated methods of concealment and well-organized international logistics. Various methods were used to conceal the drugs, such as hiding them in wooden pallets (Belgium, France), boxes of bananas (Netherlands) and bags of cocoa beans (Rotterdam), thus disguising them as commercial goods to avoid customs control.

The organization of the group was hierarchical and divided into specialized roles. At the top of this criminal group were the leaders and financiers who not only ordered and financed drug shipments, but also coordinated routes, points of contact and logistical operations. They were the originators, investors and guarantors of the operations, connecting the source of drugs in Latin America with European markets through a sophisticated chain of intermediaries. Most of them lived between the countries of the European Union, the United Kingdom and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

Under them operated associates who provided logistics and transportation. These individuals found legitimate export or transport companies, hired drivers – often Romanian citizens – and prepared the shipments by disguising them as legitimate goods such as timber or cocoa. Through them, tons of narcotics were transported to ports in Belgium, the Netherlands or overland routes to France and the United Kingdom.

On the ground, in the countries of destination, another link of the group operated – the distribution link. This included people who received the drug quantities, ensured delivery, and distributed the narcotics according to local orders. These were the executive arm of the network in Great Britain and Western Europe.

At the origin of the shipments, in Latin American countries, were unidentified individuals who served as points of contact. They were responsible for securing, packaging, and shipping the drugs to European ports.

Everything was kept under control through an encrypted communication, the Sky/ECC application. Users were hidden behind pseudonyms and PIN codes, which guaranteed anonymity and avoided eavesdropping. Communications included delivery plans, warnings of customs checks and instructions on how to react in the event of seizures. In cases of suspicion, phones were hidden, destroyed or thrown away to leave no trace.

In terms of making payments, the group had implemented a sophisticated method to circumvent the traditional banking system: the informal Hawala payment system. This mechanism allowed the transfer of large sums of money between different countries without going through formal financial channels, thus avoiding official transaction traces. This form of payment was used to hide the origin and destination of drug trafficking proceeds. Verification of the amounts was done through encrypted banknotes, which were marked with pseudonyms, payment amounts and specific dates that functioned as “tokens” to guarantee the correct withdrawal of the amount at the appropriate point.

This criminal group also had access to customs infrastructure through connections with individuals involved in ports or control agencies in various countries of the European Union. It is clear from the communications that securing cooperation with customs officers or port personnel was seen by the leaders of this criminal group as a crucial factor for the success of their drug trafficking.

International cooperation

In this important investigation, SPAK has had excellent coordination and cooperation with EUROPOL, EUROJUST, Latin American law enforcement agencies, British partner agencies and law enforcement agencies of EU countries and more specifically with countries such as France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium and Croatia. There has also been very high-quality coordination with local law enforcement agencies.

The prosecutors in the case, Mr. Altin Dumani and Mr. Adnan Xholi, underline that:

“This successful investigation led by SPAK is a direct result of close inter-institutional and international cooperation, in particular with EUROPOL, EUROJUST, EU Member State agencies, as well as partner law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom, who provided support through in-depth data analysis and the implementation of effective international police coordination. The value of the material uncovered through the analysis of the communication data decrypted by Sky/ECC has been essential to complement the evidence collected during the investigation and remains valuable in achieving the appropriate investigative results. This information has been essential in identifying serious criminal offences, suspects, and determining their role in this structured criminal group.”

Clarification: Every person is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a final judicial decision.