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SPAK strikes a criminal drug trafficking group/ Three people arrested

2025-07-20 12:09:00, Kronika CNA

SPAK strikes a criminal drug trafficking group/ Three people arrested

Three people were arrested by order of SPAK, who were involved in drug trafficking through the "Hawala" system.

EF, BF, and PK, transferred large sums of money from Switzerland to Albania through the "Hawala" system. The three citizens are accused of organized criminal group and drug trafficking.

 

SPAK announcement:

SPAK uncovers and strikes a criminal network involved in drug trafficking and money laundering, through the system 

"Hawala"

The Special Prosecution Office against Corruption and Organized Crime, in cooperation with the judicial police services of the State Police Directorate, has conducted investigations within the framework of criminal proceedings no. 49/3 of 2023, for the criminal offenses "Production and sale of narcotics", "Narcotics trafficking", "Laundering of proceeds of criminal offense or criminal activity", "Structured criminal group", "Commitment of offenses by a structured criminal group", provided for by articles 28/4, 283/1, 283/a, 287, 333/a/2 and 334/1 of the Criminal Code.

 

From the investigative actions carried out during the preliminary investigations and those carried out by the Swiss justice authorities, the necessary evidence has been collected, which has proven the fact that the persons under investigation EF, BF and PK, in cooperation with each other, as well as in cooperation with several other persons residing in Lucerne, Switzerland, in the form of a structured criminal group, have organized and enabled the functioning of an informal money transfer system. Through this system, they have transferred and transported from Switzerland to Albania, considerable amounts of money that had as their source of origin the activities of trafficking and trading of narcotics in the territory of Switzerland or in other countries.

 

This informal money transfer system, known as "Hawala", has enabled the persons under investigation and other persons involved in criminal activities to quickly transfer sums of money from Switzerland to Albania, for a period of several years, at least from 2020 onwards.

Persons interested in transferring money (money senders) handed over the money of criminal origin to associates of the criminal group residing in Switzerland, informing them of the name of the person who was the recipient of the sums of money in Tirana.

 

The associates of the criminal group residing in Switzerland, as soon as the money was deposited, would notify their associates in Tirana, the person under investigation EF, who is also the leader of this criminal group, of the amount of money deposited and the name of the person who was the recipient of the money in Tirana. Then, the person under investigation EF, in cooperation with the persons under investigation BF and PK, would deliver the same amount of money that had been deposited with their associates in Switzerland, to the persons who were the recipients of the amounts in Tirana.

 

This enabled the transfer of money in a very fast time, without the need to immediately physically transport the money from Switzerland to Albania, and at the same time made it impossible for law enforcement agencies to record money transfers, identify the senders and recipients of the money, and verify the source of the money being transferred.

 

Investigations have shown that this money transfer system was used by dozens of people, that deposits of monetary amounts in Switzerland were made in hundreds of cases, and that the monetary amounts transferred are in the millions of euros. Investigative actions are ongoing to calculate the full value of the monetary amounts that were transferred.

 

To carry out this criminal activity, the persons under investigation in Albania and their associates in Switzerland used currency exchange offices, money transfer offices and travel agencies to hide the true purpose of their activity, as in reality these activities were used to deposit amounts of money in Switzerland and to deliver and distribute amounts of money in Albania.

 

The purpose of this activity by the structured criminal group was to make profits, where the value of the monetary benefit received by the persons under investigation was 6% of the amount of money transferred, which was then divided equally between the person under investigation EF and the associates in Switzerland.

 

In addition to the above criminal activity, the persons under investigation EF, BF and PK have also carried out the activity of trafficking narcotics in several cantons in Switzerland, using other persons as distributors of narcotics in smaller quantities, as well as ensuring their supply with narcotics.

 

At the request of the Special Prosecution Office, the Special Court of First Instance for Corruption and Organized Crime, with decision no. 68 dated 14.07.2025, has decided:

The imposition of the security measure "arrest in prison" against the person under investigation EF, provided for by Article 238 of the Criminal Procedure Code, suspected of the criminal offenses "Production and sale of narcotics", "Laundering of proceeds of crime or criminal activity", "Structured criminal group", "Commitment of offenses by a structured criminal group", provided for by Articles 28/4, 283/1, 287/1 letters (a), (b) and (ç), 333/a, paragraph (1) and 334/1 of the Criminal Code.
Assigning the security measure "arrest in prison" to the person under investigation BF, provided for by article 238 of the Criminal Procedure Code, suspected of the criminal offenses "Production and sale of narcotics", "Laundering of proceeds of crime or criminal activity", "Structured criminal group", "Commitment of offenses by a structured criminal group", provided for by articles 28/4, 283/1, 287/1 letters (a), (b) and (ç), 333/a, paragraph (2) and 334/1 of the Criminal Code.
The assignment of the security measure "arrest in prison" against the person under investigation PK, provided for by article 238 of the Criminal Procedure Code, suspected of the criminal offenses "Production and sale of narcotics", "Laundering of proceeds of a criminal offense or criminal activity", "Structured criminal group", "Commitment of offenses by a structured criminal group", provided for by articles 28/4, 283/1, 287/1 letters (a), (b) and (ç), 333/a, paragraph (2) and 334/1 of the Criminal Code. 
The judicial police services at the State Police Directorate on 19.07.2025 executed the security measure "arrest in prison" for the person under investigation PK and BF, while the person under investigation EF is currently arrested in Switzerland.

Preliminary investigations related to this criminal proceeding have not yet been completed, while investigations continue into other criminal facts or other persons included in the scope of the investigations of this criminal proceeding./ CNA





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