A covert operation is launched to stop Albanian gangs flooding British streets with cocaine and bring down an Albanian criminal empire linked to smuggling and sex trafficking.
Officials from the Foreign and Interior ministries have jointly launched the Criminal State Nexus, which targets organized criminals and the corrupt politicians in the Balkans who support them.
Details of the operation were revealed in government court documents related to the legal battle over the decision to ban former Albanian president Sali Berisha from the UK.
Albanian gangs are described in legal documents as a “serious threat” to the UK due to their “widespread prevalence in serious organized crime” through their involvement in the UK’s cocaine market, smuggling and sex trafficking. It is listed.
The newspaper also cited data showing Albanians are by far the largest foreign nationality in British prisons, accounting for one in eight of all offenders in prison.
Albanian gangster Selamet Mehmetazi, who calls himself “the devil”, was sentenced to four and a half years in prison in August 2023
Dritan Rexhepi, the ringleader of the Companio Bello drug cartel that flooded Britain with cocaine, was recently arrested during a raid in Turkey.
Britain bans former Albanian president Sali Berisha from entering the country in July 2022
Mr Berisha is appealing former Home Secretary Priti Patel’s move to ban him from the UK before the Special Immigration Appeals Committee in London, which is expected to rule next month, the Times reported. The paper reported.
The appeal document argues that the political-crime nexus in Albania is such that “serious criminals and OCGs (organized crime groups) can operate and benefit from political protection for corrupt politicians from law enforcement activities. He claims that he is creating a “friendly environment”.
The paper also said political protection meant gangs had more options to launder money and could use Albania as a “safe haven from which to operate.”
These gangs can buy votes and intimidate voters during elections to help politicians, the document alleges.
The Criminal State Nexus Project is seeking to take action against politically exposed people in Albania, including banning them from entering the UK. Therefore, the fundamental objective is to break the link between politics, business and illegal activities.
Mr Berisha’s appeal was heard before the Special Immigration Appeals Board in London.
People cross the street in front of a banner reading “Welcome Lord Cameron” and a Union flag on Tirana’s main street last week ahead of the Foreign Secretary’s scheduled visit.
Berisha, 79, who was Albania’s prime minister from 2005 to 2013 and president from 1992 to 1997, is under investigation over land deals.
Last October, he abused his position to help his son-in-law Jamalvar Maltej buy land in Tirana owned by civilians and the Ministry of Defense and build 17 apartment buildings on the site. He was charged with corruption for allegedly doing so.
Both Mr. Berisha and Mr. Maltezi have pleaded not guilty, saying the incident was a political act by Prime Minister Edi Rama’s ruling Socialist Party.
Berisha, who was re-elected as a Democrat in 2021, has been under house arrest since December while he is under investigation.
Prosecutors said he could face up to 12 years in prison if convicted.
The US government banned Berisha and his immediate family from entering the country in May 2021, and the UK in July 2022, citing corruption charges.
Albanian gangs are known for sharing photos of flash cars, drugs and money on social media
TikTok video showing Albanian migrants crossing the English Channel in 2022
Last week, Foreign Secretary David Cameron visited Tirana to discuss efforts by Albania to help crack down on gangs that smuggle people across the English Channel and fuel drug crime in the UK.
But the visit was cut short after Chancellor Rishi Sunak suddenly announced a summer election on July 4.
Following a sharp rise in the number of Albanians arriving in Britain by small boats in 2022, both governments have agreed to work together to stop people from making the journey.
This includes the deployment of British Border Force officers to Tirana Airport, the replacement of senior police officers and the creation of a joint migration task force.
This may have contributed to the 93% decline in Albanian crossings across the Strait, from 12,658 in 2022 to 922 between January 1 and November 29, 2023.
Britain has forcibly removed 26,000 people, including around 6,000 Albanians, over the past year under the return agreement, according to the Foreign Office.
Following a sharp rise in the number of Albanians arriving in the UK by small boats in 2022, both governments have agreed to work together to stop people from boarding the boats.
Earlier this month, Britain handed Albania £1.6 million in cameras and drones to help crack down on a Straits people smuggling ring.
However, the number of migrants arriving in the UK continues to rise despite government efforts to curb entry.
Provisional figures from the Home Office show that 10,170 people had arrived in the UK from France in 2024 up to last Friday.
This is a new record for the first five months of a calendar year since records began in 2018. In 2023, it would take until June 17th to reach the 10,000 figure.
Mr Berisha is appealing the ban decision by then Home Secretary Priti Patel.
