The case of the clan that came to life in the meetings on the island of Aruba also focuses on Alfredo Hamzai and Luciano Koçeku, leaders of two groups that interact as a single organization. They set up a mechanism that closed the entire cocaine cycle, from production in Latin America to distribution in Europe.
‘The trafficking of narcotics from Latin American countries to Europe is carried out through fruit, meat, coal and soy trading companies. Chemical processing and extraction are carried out in warehouses or rented premises in several European countries, mainly in the Netherlands and Belgium,’ the investigative file states.
Some of these companies, according to investigators, were created and managed by members of the network themselves, serving as a cover for the introduction of large quantities of cocaine into European territory.
Traffic through Europe’s largest ports, such as Antwerp in Belgium and Rotterdam in the Netherlands, was carried out with goods passing through the ports regularly.
This activity is spread across several countries, where in addition to alliances and cooperation agreements with various criminal groups operating in different countries (such as Dutch, Belgian, Turkish, Israeli, Italian, Polish, Brazilian, British, as well as drug cartels from Colombia, Paraguay and Ecuador), Albanian criminal groups cooperate among themselves in this activity, or assist each other in various processes, according to the acquaintances and connections they have in the countries where the narcotics are transported.
The drug is distributed in several major European markets, where its price, according to the file, reaches up to 26 to 30 thousand euros per kilogram. According to the investigation, the narcotic substance is provided by main suppliers in Colombia and Ecuador, where laboratories for its processing also operate. These characters have also set up laboratories in Latin America.
“In laboratories located in Latin America, the processing of narcotics and their preparation for trafficking to European markets is carried out, under the coordination of organized criminal structures,” according to the investigative file.
“The narcotics are transported via sea and air vehicles, including containers and vehicles with hidden compartments, with the aim of avoiding customs controls” from the investigative file.
But what stands out is the fact that members of this group send people to Colombia and Ecuador as guarantors for drug trafficking.
They help each other in sending the workforce to the laboratory in Ecuador, as is the case of the person under investigation Dritan Aga, Arsen Gerbi and Muhamet Mersini; the trip which is organized by cutting tickets at the agency through the person under investigation Orgest Birçaj, through the company “Top Seven” sh.pk, with activities, among others, travel agency.
“Look for yourself, the definition of a criminal organization or structured group requires a hierarchical organization. It requires a division of roles among members and a proper organization of these members to achieve a goal of committing a specific criminal offense,” said Dritan Jahja, a lawyer.
Part of this group is Orest Sota, who according to SPAK is involved in drug trafficking in countries such as Italy and England. He appears as one of the links connecting the business world with the suspected international drug trafficking network.
In the file, he is mentioned not simply as a peripheral figure, but as an element who, according to investigators, plays a role in the circulation of information he receives through his acquaintances.
The person under investigation Orest Sota, due to the connections he has in Albania, provides information if there is data on the persons under investigation in Albania. On the other hand, a market for mass sales and transportation is provided in various countries in Europe, such as in Italy through the persons under investigation Orgest Birçaj and Orest Sota, who have their own trafficking network, in England through the person under investigation Luçiano Koçeku and in Switzerland by the persons under investigation Elton Memeti and Adrian Rama.
According to investigations by European authorities and SPAK, approximately 6.7 tons of cocaine seized in various international operations are attributed to this network.
These include 441 kg in Barcelona, 1,435 kg in Rotterdam, 162 kg in the UK, as well as several other large loads ranging from 600 kg to 1.2 tons, caught during 2020.
But, according to SPAK, it is suspected that based on risk analyses, the quantities successfully trafficked are many times greater than those that have been seized…/Top Channel