Italian anti-mafia prosecutor De Raho meets Fatmir Xhafaj and Arta Marku in Tirana

Federico Cafiero De Raho and Fatmir Xhafaj

 The Italian National Anti-mafia Prosecutor, Federico Cafiero De Raho, who is in Tirana since yesterday, held a meeting with Albanian General Prosecutor Arta Marku. Earlier, he held a meeting with Interior Minister Fatmir Xhafaj.

It was Mr. Xhafaj himself who announced the meeting, while in a Twitter message he wrote that they exchanged experiences in the fight against organized crime.

"I just finished a very useful meeting with my Italian counterpart, the Antimafia and Counterterrorism Prosecutor, Federico Cafiero De Raho and his associates, yesterday in Tirana. A highly professional and fruitful discussion with one of Italy's best-known prosecutors, with excellent experience in the fight against organized crime

With De Raho we discussed concrete issues with great interest in bilateral co-operation in the fight against transnational organized crime, sophisticated and economically strong, to crack down its corrupt ties and criminal assets. Faster sharing of information, joint investigation and investigation with mobile teams and training with the Albanian Police", said Xhafaj.

While after the meeting with the General Prosecutor Arta Marku, the Italian National Antimafia Prosecutor Federico Cafiero De Raho spoke about Albanian criminal groups.

De Raho speaking to Albanian media after met Marku

According to him, they have already become a problem in Italy, as they have been able to expand extensively and establish close ties to the most dangerous mafia groups.

"The Albanian mafia has the ability to cooperate with our mafia, control the traffic of light weapons, but also weapons in general, and finally cocaine. The investigations that are taking place in Italy are numerous," he said.

De Raho said that Albanian groups initially controlled light weapons and weapons trafficking while now the already control cocaine. Initially they activity was only in the South, he added that they are now also spread to Central and Northern Italy.

"While initially their activity has been concentrated in coastal areas, they have already spread to Central Italy but also to the North. Albanian criminals have the ability to create alliances with the crime in us, so we must continue to co-ordinate and co-operate to cut those ties," he said.

He talked, among other things, about his meeting with the Interior Minister Fatmir Xhafaj, who said he knew about the measures taken against cannabis cultivation, which according to De Rahos, will serve to fight criminality.