Albanian police crack down on drug trafficking ring

TIRANA, Albania – Albania’s prosecutor’s office says 10 police officers and eight customs officials have been arrested for organizing illegal drugs traffic to nearby Italy.

A statement Monday said those arrested “had a form of co-operation” in two cases when trucks in Italy were found with 10 metric tons (11 tons) of cannabis after crossing from or through Albania.

They face up to 20 years in prison if convicted of drug trafficking.

Last year, Albanian authorities destroyed about 2.5 million marijuana plants, four times more than the year before, and seized several metric tons of cannabis at border crossing points or from boats bound for neighbouring Greece and Italy.

But despite increased measures this year, dozens of tons of the drug have been seized in Italy or Greece after passing through Albania.