Europol has announced the conclusion of an international operation involving judicial and law enforcement authorities in eight countries, revealing one of the most active Albanian-controlled cocaine trafficking networks in Europe.

Eurojust and Europol supported a series of actions carried out in Belgium and Spain, during which over 80 locations were searched and 45 suspects were arrested.

The detainees are suspected of importing cocaine from Latin America to various European ports, arranging transportation by planes, ships, cars and trucks and running the wholesale trade.

Spain and other EU member states were used to launder money earned from illegal trade.

Over 600 law enforcement officers in close co-operation with prosecutors and investigative officers conduct raids on members of this network in Spain and Belgium.

A series of parallel actions also took place in Croatia, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.

The internationally coordinated operation by Europol and Eurojust was the culmination of many months of planning between law enforcement and judicial authorities in preparing the action.

A joint investigation team was set up between Belgium and Spain last year, with the help of Eurojust and Europol.

Investigations in Spain began in 2018, with the arrest of a senior member of the organized crime group, who is currently in custody.

Meanwhile, investigations in Belgium began after the seizure in September 2020 of quantities of drugs and chemicals used to transform and store cocaine for commercial purposes.

Large quantities of cocaine seized during various checks across Europe in recent years have been linked to the suspects.

This high-level criminal network had set up a number of companies in various countries to launder profits, including Croatia and Spain.

The members of the organization traveled regularly to Dubai, Mexico and Colombia to regulate their illegal business and used encrypted means of communication to coordinate activities.

/ Telegraphy /