EUROPOL arrests participants in the plot to kidnap an Albanian drug trafficker

2025-11-13 11:32:02, Kosova & Bota CNA

The European Police Agency [EUROPOL] announced that on November 12 it had offered assistance in an investigation conducted by the Germans, regarding a group of mercenaries, hired by a criminal network, with the aim of kidnapping the leader of a rival Albanian drug trafficking gang.

The leader of this Albanian gang – whose name has not been disclosed – is suspected of orchestrating the theft of several tons of cannabis, worth millions of euros.

The coordinated action focused on Latvian citizens, some of whom had a background in the French Foreign Legion.

EUROPOL said law enforcement authorities from Denmark, France, Latvia and the United Kingdom were involved in the operation.

"These highly trained individuals were equipped with professional equipment and were active on behalf of the organized crime group."

On the day of the police operation, four individuals were arrested in Denmark, France, Latvia and the United Kingdom, while two others, who were arrested in October 2014 in Germany, have already been convicted by the courts.

EURPOL said in a statement that this operation is related to the so-called "Violence as a Service" phenomenon, which means that perpetrators offer to commit violent acts on behalf of other criminal networks.

For the European organization, this is a worrying trend, which is also a result of the war in Ukraine.

"Ukrainians trained by American forces, Russian legionnaires and mercenaries, all former soldiers from war zones, are returning from the front and using their skills for organized crime. As the war in Ukraine continues and potentially intensifies, Europe could face increasing numbers of these individuals involved in criminal activities."

Therefore, EUROPOL has called for monitoring these activities and preparing for the challenges they may pose.

The war in Ukraine began on February 24, 2022.

Russian President Vladimir Putin calls the war a "special military operation" to demilitarize Ukraine.

The West has responded to Russia by hitting the country's economy with harsh sanctions.

As a result of the war, thousands of people have died and millions more have been displaced from their homes. /REL