Criminal group for arms trafficking is hit/ 4 people are arrested, thousands of cannabis plants are seized

2025-06-03 11:11:00, Kronika CNA

Criminal group for arms trafficking is hit/ 4 people are arrested, thousands of

The Fier Police have conducted an operation codenamed "Procedimi" where a criminal group involved in arms trafficking was targeted.

As part of this operation, 4 people were arrested, while weapons and thousands of cannabis seedlings and seeds were seized.

Police statement

As announced by the head of the Prosecution, we are here today to present the results of the police operation codenamed "Procedure", but also to convey the message of a successful cooperation between the Fier Local Police Directorate and the Fier General Jurisdiction Prosecutor's Office. This cooperation is ongoing and well-coordinated with all law enforcement agencies in the Fier region.

The police operation codenamed "Procedure" is the finalization of a criminal proceeding pursued with special investigation methods, under the direction of the Fier Prosecutor's Office.

The proceedings were initiated by the Narcotics and Illicit Trafficking Investigation Sector at the Fier Police Department and were pursued in cooperation with the Directorate of the Special Operational Force of the State Police.

As previously announced in our press releases, the structures of the Fier DVP have continued uninterrupted operations to prevent and crack down on criminal activities. As part of these efforts, specialists from the Narcotics Investigation Sector of the Fier DVP secured information through police intelligence and referred it to the Fier Prosecutor's Office, which registered criminal proceedings no. 1815/2024, which were pursued for several months, with special investigation methods.

The investigations revealed that several citizens, in collaboration with each other, were carrying out criminal activities in the field of trafficking in weapons and ammunition of various calibers, as well as carrying firearms for criminal purposes. This activity was carried out in several cities of the country, such as Fier, Lushnje, Durrës, Shkodër and Kukës, while in some cases the weapons were obtained from Kosovo and illegally imported through the green border at the Morinë BCP.

Investigations revealed that this group was also involved in the cultivation and sale of cannabis.

Following the investigations, the police operation codenamed "Procedimi" was organized and finalized.

During the operation, 8 house searches were conducted, 2 searches in premises suspected of storing weapons and ammunition, as well as 3 vehicle searches.

During these checks, the following were seized:

4,000 cannabis seedlings (2,000 planted on land owned by citizen BB and 2,000 cultivated in cubicles);

3 automatic firearms, 2 shotguns and 636 cartridges of various calibers;

5000 cannabis seeds;

2 police radios, 2 police uniforms, 1 plastic mask with wig;

3 vehicles and 10 cell phones.

Also, in the apartment of citizen NO, in Durrës, 1 firearm, a pistol, was seized, which this citizen attempted to throw out of the window, at the moment of the Police intervention.

During the operation, the following citizens were detained:

BB, 48 years old, resident of Kallm, Fier, previously sentenced in Italy to 30 years in prison for the criminal offenses of "Exploitation of prostitution" and "Unlicensed possession of weapons";

NO, 53 years old, resident of Durrës, with a criminal record in the field of illegal possession of weapons;

Q. Sh., 48 years old, resident of Lushnja, previously convicted of criminal activity in the field of narcotics and illegal possession of weapons;

BB, 33 years old, resident of Divjaka.

Also, a 51-year-old man from the village of Peshtan, Fier, previously arrested for resisting police officers, was released on bail.

Investigations show that this group operated in an organized manner, with the aim of trafficking weapons from Kosovo to Albania, to then sell them to individuals involved in criminal activities.

B. B. and Q. Sh. were the organizers of the group. The other members played a role in securing weapons and finding clients.

At the same time, the group's leader, BB, organized the cultivation and then sale of cannabis.

The operation continues and investigations are deepening, to identify and capture other citizens involved in these criminal activities./ CNA