Drugs, maxi operation: seizure of tons of cocaine

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Published on: 09/17/2020 8:05 AM

Dozens of arrests, seizures of tons of cocaine and millions of euros: this is the result of the maximum international anti-drug operation of the State Police “Los Blancos”, coordinated by the Public Ministry of Florence, which involved the Tuscan capital and other Italian cities , as well as numerous foreign countries and that has allowed to defeat the criminal cartel considered the leader of the Albanian groups specialized in drug trafficking in the continental context. 30 Albanian citizens ended up in prison Responsible, for various causes, for the crimes of criminal association directed at international drug trafficking, possession and sale of drugs. While, in five years of investigation, more than 5 and a half million euros and almost 4 tons of cocaine have been seized

“Sometimes they lead us to think that Albanian criminal organizations are second-rate. The operation ‘Los Blancos’ shows, however, that Albanian criminals have great skills, coming to deal directly with the ‘cartels’ of Latin American drug traffickers, entertaining stable relationships with them, the investigations also made it possible to verify the existence of an Albanian criminal superstructure “, a kind of ‘dome’, from which strategic directives descended, said the national anti-mafia prosecutor, Federico Cafiero De Raho. during a press conference in the bunker room of the Florence Court, to illustrate the results of the maxi operation .

“The Florence Prosecutor – added Cafiero De Raho, congratulating the prosecutor Giuseppe Creazzo – is the protagonist of this operation of a great moment in the fight against drugs, demonstrating his ability to project itself on international territory. And this ability finds a base solid in the effective presence of Eurojust, which connects and coordinates investigations at European level. “

“This is an international operation, which is also very important, which has brought to the fore the role of Albanian drug traffickers – explained the national anti-mafia prosecutor – and showed how strong is the capacity of the Albanian criminal organizations, which have established stable relationships. with the South American drug traffickers. “

Albanian criminal organizations, Cafiero de Raho continued, “operate with extraordinary coverage in several European countries, with Albanian drug traffickers acting permanently directly in South America and the Netherlands, controlling the departures and arrivals of cocaine shipments in European ports, especially in Antwerp and Rotterdam “.

The penetration capacity of Albanian criminals was also demonstrated by the discovery of the existence of their own brand (“Bello”), imprinted on cocaine cakes imported into Europe. “The brand on the blocks, almost as a guarantee of the quality of the product, is an absolute and surprising novelty, which emerged in five years of research,” said Cafiero de Raho.

Investigations also revealed that large sums of money made from cocaine trafficking were recycled through Chinese companies operating in the Netherlands and England.

The complex investigative activity was carried out as part of a Joint Investigation Team made up of the Central Operations Service of the Central Directorate for the Fight against Crime, the Florence Mobile Team, the Dutch Finec and the Central Directorate for Anti-Drug Services , with the coordination of Eurojust and Europol. , of the National Antimafia and Antiterrorist Directorate and the Central Directorate of the Criminal Police.

The press conference was attended by the Vice President of Eurojust, Filippo Spiezia; the chief prosecutor of the Republic of Florence Giuseppe Creazzo; the director of the Europol Organized Crime Unit, Georgios Raskos; the Deputy Prosecutor of the Amsterdam Public Prosecutor’s Office, Justine Asbroek; the director of the Central Directorate for the Fight against Crime, Francesco Messina; the Central Director of Anti-Drug Services – General Division of the Guardia di Finanza Antonino Maggiore; the director of the International Police Cooperation Service of the Central Directorate of Criminal Police, Brigadier General of the Carabinieri, Giuseppe Spina.