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Given the extensive evidence collected by law enforcement agencies of both countries, the outcome of this extradition battle could significantly impact the broader fight against international drug trafficking networks...
A day earlier, it was announced that authorities in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, had arrested Dritan Gjika, suspected of being the leader of an Albanian drug trafficking syndicate. Gjika's arrest was followed by a legal dispute between Ecuador and Spain, as both countries seek the Albanian's extradition.
Gjika, known as 'Tony', had been on the run since 2024, while he was wanted for orchestrating a transnational cocaine smuggling operation from Colombia through Ecuador to Europe.
The arrest, confirmed by Ecuadorian authorities on May 26, 2025, stems from the 'Pampa' case, a joint investigation by Ecuador and Spain that uncovered a network responsible for laundering over $30 million through Ecuadorian companies.
Albanian cocaine boss Dritan Gjika, 48, has been arrested in Ecuador for his role in leading a cartel operation to import mountains of cocaine through the Costa del Sol.
The syndicate allegedly used legitimate businesses, including banana exporters, to hide cocaine shipments in fruit containers destined for European ports.
Gjika's capture has prompted Ecuador and Spain to begin extradition proceedings.
The decision now rests with the UAE authorities, who will determine which country will prosecute the suspect first.
Given the extensive evidence collected by law enforcement agencies of both countries, the outcome of this extradition battle could significantly impact the broader fight against international drug trafficking networks.
Who is Dritan Gjika?
Born in 1976 and living in Ecuador since 2013, he is one of the main figures in the case that the police investigated, confidentially, in 2021. The case involves Rubén Cherres, a friend of Danilo Carrera, the brother-in-law of President Lasso. Cherres, who was recently executed, was a business partner of Albanian Dritan Gjika in several companies.
Weapons, thousands of dollars and luxury cars seized/ Operation against the Albanian mafia in Ecuador, Dritan Gjika appears on the scene
Dritan Gjika, according to his country's data, has completed high school. However, in Ecuador, his finances stood out during the pandemic.
Between 2015 and 2018, the Albanian paid no income tax, according to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). In 2019 and 2020, the amount taxed exceeded $500 in each of those years. But in 2021, he paid $15,342 in income tax, while the currency outflow tax that year exceeded $3,700. In 2022, he paid no income tax; but he contributed $1,805 for foreign currency outflow.
What was Gjika's lucrative activity in Ecuador? Gjika incorporated a dozen companies on the same day, June 17, 2021, along with Rubén Cherres. The suspicious thing about the companies created simultaneously is that they have a wide range of social objects, ranging from meat production, through tourism and the promotion of shows, according to documents emerging from the investigation conducted by the office of assemblyman Ricardo Vanegas.
Cherres, in his identity file, appears as an invalid and mentions "oil tanker" as his profession, without further explanation.
According to the Albanian state police, Gjika has no criminal record and has not been arrested by the Albanian police.
However, in September 2021, Italian police deported him from Treviso, Italy, after he failed to gather the necessary documentation to enter the country.
Records show that he traveled between Albania and Dubai.
On January 7, 2023, on the eve of the release of the first audio recordings that shed light on the case, the Albanian Gjika left for Turkey. Since then, there has been no news about him. / Pamphlet /
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