Europol: SPAK dismantled the criminal group that trafficked tons of cocaine and laundered money

2025-08-12 13:03:00, Aktualitet CNA

Europol: SPAK dismantled the criminal group that trafficked tons of cocaine and

A series of operations carried out from August 7 to 8, 2025 in Albania led to the arrest of 10 suspected members of an Albanian organized crime network involved in cocaine trafficking and money laundering.

Europol emphasizes that law enforcement in Albania, in coordination with their colleagues from Belgium, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, executed this Europol-supported operation against the clan-based criminal network.

Investigations have shown that the network has links to other high-risk international poly-criminal organisations active throughout the EU and beyond.

Following the arrest of a key member of the organization by Albanian authorities in late June 2025, the raids also led to the seizure of significant assets, including a hotel, various properties and businesses, and a wealth of physical and digital evidence.

During the operation, Europol highlights that 10 people were arrested and real estate such as a tourist resort, villas, apartments, land plots, as well as vehicles and shares in companies worth several million euros were seized.

Seizure of 111,800 euros, 4,000 US dollars (about 3,434 euros), 880,000 Albanian lek (about 9,048 euros) in cash.

Although the encrypted communication platform Sky ECC was deactivated more than four years ago, its content still delivers operational results. In-depth and targeted analysis of data at Europol allows cooperating law enforcement authorities to gather actionable intelligence on high-level organised crime groups and their members. This coordinated approach allows investigators to map the structure of high-risk criminal networks and the role of individual high-value targets.

This special operation led by SPAK focused on a high-level Albanian target involved in cocaine trafficking and money laundering. Investigators from Albania, Belgium, France and the Netherlands, together with Europol experts, analyzed Sky ECC encrypted communication data. Among the reconstructed criminal episodes were cocaine shipments trafficked from Latin America to major EU ports, including Hamburg and Rotterdam. Investigations have shown that in one of these shipments alone, the main target received more than 40 million US dollars for his share.

The leader of the criminal organization was responsible for organizing shipments and investing in very large quantities of cocaine. He coordinated these massive criminal enterprises even from distant locations, relying on encrypted means of communication. Before his arrest, he was wanted following a decision by an Albanian court that recognized a 21-year prison sentence issued by an Italian court for murder, deprivation of liberty, attempted concealment of a corpse, threats, illegal possession of explosives and ammunition, and obstruction of justice.

The Albanian organised crime network under investigation operated with a truly global reach, as it collaborated with other groups that could facilitate shipments to EU ports. It invested its massive proceeds, which amounted to tens of millions of euros, in properties and businesses across Albania and other European countries./ Europol