FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Wanted five times, caught with tons of cocaine and connected to senior politicians, Trifon Murataj continues to roam freely amidst luxury and crime, under the protection of police chiefs, the prosecution and sponsorships for the Socialist Party...
For years, at every press conference or institutional meeting on the fight against organized crime, the highest leaders of the Albanian judiciary have repeated the cliché of “zero impunity.” But in reality, one of the figures who refutes this propaganda is Trifon Murataj, the notorious trafficker disguised as a businessman, who continues to circulate freely among luxury and containers of cocaine, despite being caught several times with tons of drugs and being declared wanted five times.
Under the guise of the firm "Bana King", Murataj has set up and runs a sophisticated network of international cocaine trafficking, using the port of Durrës as the gateway for Latin American cartels to Albania and Europe. Referring to the data provided by "Pamphlet", as well as sources from within the justice system, serious facts come to light that confirm the institutional protection that has been guaranteed to this "VIP" trafficker.
Traffickers' statements and secret reports
From January 2022 to 2025, in 45 different cases, people arrested for trafficking and distributing cocaine in cities such as Tirana, Durrës, Fieri, Vlora, Lushnja and Elbasan, have declared to investigators that the narcotics came from Trifon Murataj's network. This testimony was made both to the police, to SPAK, and to the district prosecutor's offices. But none of these declarations has led to his arrest.
Further, reports from SHISH, the Anti-Trafficking Directorate, as well as international agencies such as DEA and Europol, have identified the company “ZICO”, closely linked to “Bana King” as the logistical cover for Murataj’s network. In four separate cases, over 2 tons of cocaine were seized in containers imported by him, but Murataj was never touched.
Five wanted ads, never in handcuffs
December 31, 2021 – 119 kg of cocaine are seized in the containers of "Bana King". Murataj is declared wanted, but moves freely, accompanied by the police chief and prosecutors to luxury restaurants in Tirana.
July 17, 2022 – 50 crates containing about 1.5 tons of cocaine disappear from the “Bana King” container. It is again declared wanted, but again it is not touched.
November 4, 2022 – 35.5 kg of cocaine are seized at the port of Durrës, in another container belonging to his company. The case is closed.
December 8, 2023 – A container with 1 ton of cocaine passes through the Port of Durres unchecked and disappears in Shkozet. Again, it is not stopped.
February 24, 2025 – Wanted for serious workplace safety violations after a company employee lost his sight. Police kept the incident secret and only announced criminal proceedings after media reports.
For each of these cases, the reaction of the justice system has been minimal, while sources from within the institutions confirm that Murataj has strong political support, is a donor to the Socialist Party and has created a network of loyalists in the police, prosecution and other state structures.
Political patronage and corruption in the system
Murataj has managed to corrupt every link in the institutional chain. For years, he has been treated by the system as a "boss with immunity". Not only is he not affected, but even when he is wanted, he is at the side of senior police officials, in public places. He has even participated in Socialist Party events and is seen as its sponsor in various areas.
Even the international organization C4ADS, which specializes in tracking global criminal networks, has mentioned Trifon Murataj as one of the most dangerous exponents of cocaine trafficking in the Western Balkans, with strong ramifications in Latin America and EU countries.
Why isn't Trifon Murataj banned?
Because it has become an unwritten rule that only distributors and "street kids" are arrested, while the real heads of the traffic are not only not touched, but are further protected and empowered. Trifon Murataj is today the symbol of inviolability in a state built on drug markets, where crime is not only not fought, but is managed from above. And this is proven by the most brutal fact: he has not spent a single day in prison, although he was caught with tons of cocaine.
In any normal country, Murataj would have been behind bars long ago. In Albania, he is one of the "VIP" businessmen of trafficking, respected by those who should have put him in prison./ Pamphlet
Lini një Përgjigje