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Albanian mafia at the heart of Mexican cartels: Money laundering, drugs and high-caliber weapons
Mexican media have revealed shocking details about the collaboration between the Albanian mafia and the most powerful drug cartels in Latin America. According to a recently published report, the Albanian mafia is being considered a “strategic partner” of the Sinaloa and Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) cartel, due to its control over cocaine trafficking in Europe, money laundering and infiltration networks in strategic ports.
The focus of the news is the Hysa family, of Albanian origin and based in Mexico, which has been sanctioned by the US Treasury Department for involvement in money laundering in service of the Sinaloa cartel.
The report highlights that the Albanian mafia operates through closed family structures, minimizing the risk of betrayal and becoming a reliable ally for international criminal organizations.
The Albanian mafia has become a key partner for Mexico's most powerful drug cartels, the Sinaloa and Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), thanks to its strong control over drug distribution in Europe, the closed family structure that makes it trustworthy, and the sophisticated money laundering systems it offers. Its global network has enabled the Mexican cartels to expand businesses, circulate capital, and obtain weapons without risking detection.
The recent statement by the US Treasury Department, which announced sanctions against the Hysa family, located in Mexico but of Albanian origin, on charges of money laundering in favor of the “Mayiza” faction of the Sinaloa cartel, is further evidence of the increasingly close ties between Mexican cartels and Albanian criminal clans. The question that naturally arises is: Why have connections between organized crime in Mexico and Albania become so common?
Little is known about the Albanian mafia in Mexico, but internationally it is one of the most influential groups, alongside the Italian mafia 'Ndrangheta, with which it shares control of drug trafficking in Europe. This has made it a favorite ally of the Sinaloa and CJNG cartels. In addition to Europe, the Albanian mafia is also active in the US, Canada and Australia, where it has penetrated through Albanian immigrant communities.
Since the late 1980s, the Albanian mafia and the 'Ndrangheta were small organizations compared to crime giants like Cosa Nostra or Camorra. But after the 1990s, they began to grow strongly for two main reasons:
The weakening of traditional European mafias, due to criminal prosecution and internal collaboration with authorities, made them unreliable for Colombian and Mexican cartels.
Closed family structure, where members are only related by blood (fathers, sons, brothers, uncles, nephews), which significantly reduces the risk of betrayal.
Albanian diaspora and roots in strategic ports
Thanks to the large wave of immigration from Albania and Calabria (the 'Ndrangheta region), these mafias quickly established themselves in key European cities, especially in ports, financial centers, and areas of high economic development.
The Albanian mafia is today active in London, Berlin, Paris, Stockholm, Istanbul, New York, Sydney, Toronto, Madrid, Rome, as well as in ports with the largest drug influx such as Hamburg (Germany), Algeciras and Valencia (Spain), Antwerp (Belgium) and Rotterdam (Netherlands).
These ports are the entry points for cocaine and fentanyl into Europe, and the Albanian mafia is perfectly positioned to manage these flows – becoming an indispensable ally for the Mexican cartels.
Money laundering and financial power
In addition to controlling drug trafficking, the Albanian mafia offers something that many organizations seek: international money laundering networks. Its investments are concentrated in luxury properties throughout Europe, casinos, hotels, tourist centers, spas and restaurants. At the same time, it cooperates with Chinese and Turkish networks in illegal trade and product piracy in major cities.
The Albanian mafia is also active in major European financial centers such as Switzerland, Germany, and the United Kingdom. It uses cryptocurrencies, digital gaming platforms, and online fraud to circulate dirty money.
A flexible structure, without "gang wars"
Unlike Mexican cartels that often clash in bloody wars, the Albanian mafia is not a single organization, but a network of independent family clans that cooperate and share profits. This makes it possible for a single Albanian clan to cooperate simultaneously with two rival cartels such as Sinaloa and CJNG, because the price of conflict is much higher than the benefits of exclusivity.
It is therefore not at all surprising that the Hysa family in Mexico serves as a bridge connecting Albanian clans in Europe, offering not only money laundering through casinos, but also access to investment schemes that are almost impossible to trace by Mexican authorities. /Pamphlet
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