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Colonel Bushpepa, convicted of drug trafficking and criminal organization in Italy, was arrested in the Albanian capital after a coordinated operation between Albanian authorities and the Venice police. Investigators discovered his location by tracking his wife's travels.
Italian media have revealed details from the arrest a few days ago of Colonel Bushpepa alias Sokol Bushpepa, convicted of drug trafficking and criminal organization in Italy.
His arrest took place in the Albanian capital after a coordinated operation between Albanian authorities and investigators from the Venice mobile squad, who had been internationally wanted for years through an Interpol mandate.
According to Italian media , Bushpepa had managed to disappear from sight since 2022, immediately after he was sentenced to 5 years, 3 months and 10 days in prison for "criminal organization" and "drug trafficking".
But what led investigators to him was not a major mistake or an intercepted communication, but his wife's constant movements towards Albania.
Italian investigators, led by the head of the Venice mobile team, Eugenio Masino, had been monitoring Bushpepa's family contacts and network of people close to him for years. They focused in particular on the travels of his wife, who repeatedly traveled to Albania.
According to the investigation, each trip was organized with extreme care. The vehicles were constantly changed, the itineraries were never the same, and telephone communications were almost completely avoided.
However, it was precisely this sophisticated movement scheme that raised the suspicions of the Italian police that Bushpepa was hiding in Tirana.
"It was enough to follow his wife's footsteps to reach him," Italian media wrote, describing the operation that led to the Albanian's arrest.
After identifying the area where he was staying, Italian authorities requested the intervention of the Albanian police, who made the arrest and put an end to the multi-year escape.
Col. Bushpepa is considered a well-known name to Italian anti-drug authorities, while his criminal activity in Italy dates back more than 15 years.
His name first appeared in Venice police files in 2009, when he was 27 years old and suspected of being part of an Italian-Albanian group involved in drug trafficking.
At the time, he was living in the Cannaregio area of Venice and working in a pub, and he also had previous drug distribution convictions.
But the case that made him known to Italian authorities was a major anti-drug operation in May 2012, when police seized 229 kilograms of marijuana between Mestre and Martellago, along with cocaine and a Zastava gun with an erased serial number.
According to investigations, the drugs could have brought the organizers up to 2 million euros in profits.
At that time, Bushpepa was 30 years old and lived in Scorzé.
However, according to Italian police, his role changed significantly in the following years. By 2021, he was already considered one of the key figures in a criminal organization that brought large quantities of cocaine into the Venice area.
Italian investigators say the group was structured and managed to traffic over two kilograms of cocaine per month, with a financial turnover estimated at around 1 million euros.
During searches at his apartment in Mestre, police found 70 thousand euros in cash, while the rest of the profits were allegedly invested in accommodation structures and "bed and breakfast" type businesses.
To avoid eavesdropping, group members constantly changed phones and SIM cards, often registered in other people's names.
On January 28, 2022, Bushpepa was finally sentenced to over 5 years in prison, but at the moment when he was supposed to start serving his sentence, he disappeared without a trace.
Since then he has been considered an international fugitive.
Italian media report that Bushpepa had built a network of trusted people around him and used strong security measures to avoid being located, but his wife's repeated movements towards Albania proved crucial to the investigation.
Albanian authorities have not yet provided official details on the arrest, while it is expected that Bushpepa will be extradited to Italy, where he will have to serve the remainder of his sentence. / Pamphlet
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