FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Eurojust has published details regarding the joint operation between Italian authorities and the Albanian SPAK, which yesterday targeted a structured criminal group involved in international drug trafficking and money laundering.
According to the official announcement, during the action carried out on 26 May 2026 in Italy and Albania, 12 people were arrested, while three others were issued with arrest warrants. The operation was carried out with the active support of Eurojust and within the framework of a joint investigative team between the Bari Prosecutor's Office and the Special Structure against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK).
The investigation is also linked to a murder that occurred in May 2025 in the Bari region. According to Italian authorities, a dispute in a bar escalated into the kidnapping and brutal murder of Francesco Divisti in an isolated cave in the Upper Murgia area. The investigation into this incident revealed links to drug trafficking activity, allegedly run by an Albanian citizen.
Italian and Albanian authorities subsequently identified a structured criminal organization also involved in money laundering on an international scale. In parallel, another investigation into Albanian nationals operating in the Puglia region had led to the same criminal network.
Eurojust announced that the joint investigation team was set up in December 2023, enabling the coordination of investigations between the two countries. As a result of the operation and joint investigations, 15 people are held responsible for various charges, including premeditated murder using mafia methods, attempted extortion, illegal possession of weapons, aiding and abetting perpetrators and breach of personal preventive measures.
The investigations also revealed the laundering of nearly 1 million euros in proceeds from criminal activity, transferred from Italy to Albania through an organized group based in Tirana.
Eurojust emphasizes that this is the fifth joint investigative team between the Anti-Mafia Prosecutor's Office of Bari and SPAK in the period 2018–2026, in the fight against Albanian organizations involved in international cocaine and heroin trafficking in Italy.
According to official data, cooperation between Italian and Albanian authorities over the years has led to over 170 arrests and the seizure of more than seven tons of drugs, including cocaine, heroin, hashish and marijuana. In some cases, the defendants have been sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.
Eurojust announces that it has financially supported these investigations with over 180 thousand euros, covering expenses for travel, translations, forensic expertise and transport of seized materials.
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