The 'Sinaloa' cartel linked to the Albanian mafia / Who are the brothers who collaborate with 'El Mayo'

2022-09-15 16:41:00, Kronika CNA

The 'Sinaloa' cartel linked to the Albanian mafia / Who are the

The leader of the 'Sinaloa' cartel, Zambada García, known as 'El Mayo'.

A Spanish media has reported on the connections of the most notorious cartel in the world for drug trafficking, 'Sinaloa', with the Albanian mafia.

According to the media, the 'Sinaloa' cartel has extended its tentacles to Albania for laundering dirty money, as it considers Albania to be "a country with weak economy and laws".

The article states that linked to this criminal organization are the Albanian brothers L., A., Fatos and R. H., who own a network of casinos and businesses in Sonora, Baja California and Quintana Roo.

Brothers have direct ties to the leader of 'Sinaloa', Zambada García, known as 'El Mayo'.

" El Universal " writes that through businesses, Albanians clean millions of dollars from organized crime, together with lawyers and managers.

Full text:

The tentacles of the Mexican cartels have already reached the Balkan countries of Eastern Europe, where they have found fertile ground to launder the money of their illegal activities, because their economies and the law are weak.

Federal government intelligence authorities discovered that Ismael Zambada García, alias El Mayo, leader of a faction of the Sinaloa cartel, is allied with the Albanian mafia to launder millions of dollars in businesses, real estate and investments in the coastal tourism sector. In particular, they identified that "El Mayo" had established links with the brothers L., A., F. and R. H., an Albanian criminal group that has been targeted by the financial authorities for the irregular economic activity recorded in the tourism and casino sectors in Mexico is not in Albania.

According to intelligence sources consulted by EL UNIVERSAL, the four Albanians own a network of casinos and businesses in Sonora, Baja California and Quintana Roo, in which they launder millions of dollars from organized crime, together with lawyers and executives. In addition, they invest large sums of money in Albania to clean it, in investments focused on gambling activities and in the field of tourism. At this time, according to federal authorities, Albanians are conducting an operation on behalf of the Sinaloa cartel to transfer millions of dollars to their country through companies.

The links between Mexican cartels and Albanian drug trafficking and money laundering groups were not known until now, according to the intelligence authorities consulted. The connection between El Mayo Zambada and the Albanian mafia represents an opportunity for Mexican criminal groups to expand in Albania, a small former communist country that is being lured by money from illegal activities. Intelligence authorities recall that Mexican cartels are constantly expanding beyond the country's borders, as they reach into Europe and Asia.

In the countries of the European Union, such as the Netherlands, Great Britain and Malta, in addition to cocaine, they have already begun to control, traffic and process synthetic drugs, including fentanyl and methamphetamine, considered the most sought after in the international market . Investigations carried out in 2018 by the Dutch police show that the ports of that European country continue to be the main entrance of Mexican criminal organizations into the European Union, where they have already established their laboratories for the production of synthetic drugs.

In a joint investigation completed in December last year, Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese police arrested a group of 'Los Beltrán Leyva' in Barcelona and Tarragona that processed methamphetamine in Spain and the Netherlands. Also, this group had as its objective the laundering of the money benefited from this illegal activity, so it installed a money laundering network that started in Spain, passed through the Netherlands, Portugal, Hong Kong, Turkey and ended in Mexico.

According to international investigations, the 'Beltrán Leyva' organization circulated millions of euros in the international financial system for money laundering activities. Intelligence sources ensure that the money has been laundered through casinos, which have been developed and invested in European countries where there is weak enforcement of the rule of law. At the time of the arrest, the cell members were seized with large amounts of cash and chemical products used in the production of synthetic drugs.

Mexican cartels aim to invest the proceeds of criminal activities in countries where law enforcement remains weak, mainly in Eastern European countries, among them Albania. Intelligence sources mention that this Albanian group is also connected to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), led by Michoacan capo Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, El Mencho, but more evidence is being sought in this regard.

Until the alliance with Ismael Zambada García, El Mayo, Albanian organized crime was only associated with Colombian and Ecuadorian drug traffickers in Latin America. By creating this new relationship, the Mexican cartels will now aim to expand, especially when it comes to casino profits and money laundering, which in most cases remain unchecked or cannot be fully controlled by the governments of the countries concerned. ./ BA - CNA.al