An internationally active Albanian organized crime network has been dealt a major blow following a coordinated law enforcement crackdown that resulted in 10 arrests in early August 2025. The large-scale operation, executed between 7 and 8 August in Albania, marks another significant victory stemming from Europol’s continued exploitation of Sky ECC encrypted communication data.

The dismantled network was heavily engaged in multi-tone cocaine trafficking and sophisticated money laundering operations. Its reach extended far beyond Albania, establishing close ties with other high-risk, poly-criminal organizations across Europe and Latin America. The takedown highlights the increasingly global nature of organized crime and the critical importance of cross-border intelligence sharing and joint investigations.

Albanian authorities, working in close coordination with their counterparts from Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands, launched a series of raids targeting clan-based criminal structures. The effort was spearheaded domestically by Albania’s Special Prosecution Office for Anti-corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK), the National Bureau of Investigation, and the Albanian State Police.

Europol played a central role, providing operational support, intelligence coordination, and on-the-ground expertise through the deployment of an organised crime specialist to Tirana. The coordinated strikes followed the arrest of a key figure within the network in June 2025, which further enabled authorities to piece together the group’s structure and modus operandi.

During the raids, law enforcement seized substantial assets linked to the criminal network, including a hotel, several properties,........

© Blitz