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Europol reports that has arrested 64 persons suspected of being members of the Albanian mafia, with their activities in Belgium, France, Holland, Italy and Great Britain.
The announcement states that over 60 people were arrested between April 3 and April 5, and more than 600 agents of the European police organization were involved in the operation. The arrestees are suspected of a series of criminal offenses, such as production and trafficking of narcotics, trafficking in human beings, prostitution and money laundering.This operation was undertaken to crack down on the mafia activity of many Albanians working in co-operation with each other and living in Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Italy and the UK.
The suspects are believed to have managed at least some of cannabis plantations spread across Belgium and North France. Some suspects are believed to have been involved in trafficking in human beings in the French state.
55 of them are arrested in Belgium, 7 in the Netherlands, 2 in France. The operation was carried out with the cooperation of the Belgian Federal Police, the French National Gendarmerie, the Dutch Police and the Italian Investigative Anti-mafia Directorate and the British Metropolitan Police.
Europol supported the investigation from the outset by facilitating the exchange of information. On the day of the action, six Europol experts were deployed in Belgium, France and the Netherlands to allow for real-time exchange of information. During the action a series of seizures of criminal assets have been made.
The organized Albanian crime continues to be a concern for the countries in Europe, a threat that is taken very seriously by Europol.