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Criminalistics expert Ervin Karamuço has commented on the joint operation of SPAK and the Italian anti-mafia against an Albanian-Italian criminal group involved in murder, drug trafficking and money laundering, stating that Albania has become an ideal terrain for investing mafia money for years.
Criminalistics expert Ervin Karamuço has made strong statements regarding the operation conducted today by SPAK and the Italian anti-mafia, which targeted an Albanian-Italian criminal group involved in murder, drug trafficking and money laundering.
Invited to a television studio, Karamuço stated that the connections between the Italian mafia and Albanian groups are ancient, while Albania has for years been considered by Italian mafia organizations as an ideal place for investing and laundering criminal money.
" 20 thousand members, 12 billion dollars a year, 50 clans. It's just the Puglia mafia. We didn't mention the Foggia mafia here, which is separate and even more violent. We're not talking about the 'Ndrangheta, which has 37 billion dollars in revenue a year. But we have historical ties with Puglia and the 'Ndrangheta. Albanians remember the wiretaps of 2014-2017, when the 'Ndrangheta said: 'Albania is paradise, let's go invest'. And of course they will find ways to take the money, because the pressure on them is extraordinary ," Karamuço declared.
According to him, a significant portion of criminal money is laundered in Albania through businesses that at first glance appear normal, but which in reality are used to justify the circulation of large sums of money.
" Our naked eye sees every day empty premises, shops or businesses in Tirana, but they bill as if half the city had gone there. These are money laundering mechanisms. They connect them with companies, with consortia, and even with second-tier banks. And this is not something secret. If there were serious investigations, every day in Albania a criminal group could be discovered. With a guarantee, 365 days, 365 groups ," said the criminalistics expert.
Karamuço emphasized that forms of money laundering have become increasingly sophisticated and include various sectors of the economy, from clothing stores to aesthetic clinics and private businesses.
" Yes, this is an inevitable form, because this money will end up somewhere. Think about corruption or trafficking money, they all follow the same systems. Opening shops, aesthetic clinics, businesses that do not justify real activity, are classic ways to introduce dirty money into the economy ," he said.
Karamuço's statements come on the same day that Italian authorities and SPAK cracked down on a criminal organization linked to the Italian mafia, accused of mafia-style murders, drug trafficking, and laundering millions between Italy, Albania, and other European countries.
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