FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
The Albanian was tasked with searching for drug routes and overseeing all logistics. This man had the full confidence of the Balkan cartel, with whom they had 'contracted' the distribution of the shipments as soon as they arrived on European territory.
50 people, members of an international cocaine trafficking organization have been arrested in an operation coordinated by Europol with the help of the American DEA, the Norwegian NCIS, the British NCA, the Spanish National Police and the European MAOC in Spain, Portugal, Norway, Bulgaria, England, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago and Colombia.
Among those arrested is the head of the organization, an Iranian with Norwegian citizenship, known as "El Professor" as well as his close associate, an Albanian with Norwegian citizenship.
The first was caught in Norway trying to travel to Dubai, while the Albanian was caught in a luxury apartment in Valencia, Spain, where he lived with his Spanish girlfriend.
From that apartment, the Albanian took care of the logistics, recruited the crews, bought the sailboats. 10 boats have been investigated but only 8 have been found, one was sunk by drug traffickers in Colombia and another was lost.
The Albanian was tasked with searching for drug routes and overseeing all logistics. This man had the full confidence of the Balkan cartel, with whom they had 'contracted' the distribution of the shipments as soon as they arrived on European territory.
The investigation began after on December 20, 2023, authorities intercepted a sailboat in international waters off the coast of Martinique with 1.5 tons of cocaine on board. Eight individuals, including crew members and some involved in other vehicles, were arrested the same day.
Following this operation, within the intelligence activities being developed with its operational counterparts, Europol has been able to develop actionable intelligence regarding the drug trafficking activities of this organized crime group. This led to further investigations and operational activities involving 10 countries.
The suspects were arrested as part of an international operation against drug trafficking led by the Spanish National Police (Policía Nacional).
The Spanish authorities cooperated closely with the Norwegian Police, the United Kingdom's National Crime Agency (NCA) and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (US DEA) in the framework of an Operational Task Force set up at Europol.
The purpose of the task force was to target a drug trafficking organization with ties to the Western Balkans region, which authorities suspected of transporting large quantities of cocaine to Europe.
During the investigation, agents identified a total of 10 vessels used by the organization along the 'drug routes' and that the criminals had various bases of operation in Spain and South America.
In Spain, they used Valencia, Alicante, Almería, Málaga and the Canary Islands as logistics points before heading to South America.
In South America they used Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Lucia, Barbados or Panama, to keep the sailboats ready to sail with the drugs.
This system meant that shipments could move as soon as orders were received from the leader of the criminal network and his lieutenant.
The cocaine would then be taken to the shores of the Caribbean islands by sailboats, which would immediately after departure head for Spain, from where the cocaine would be distributed to various EU countries by land transport.
The crew for the sailboats had been recruited in Norway by one of the leaders of a drug-trafficking organization that Europol had designated as a high-value target. This individual was among those arrested in Norway.
This operation was the culmination of many months of meticulous planning in preparation for the final phase of the action.
The partners have worked closely together in the framework of a Europol Operational Task Force to create a joint strategy and organize extensive information sharing.
Lini një Përgjigje