For a long time he managed to escape the grip of the police: Now, the suspected head of the Albanian drug mafia, Klement Balili, has come near the southern Albanian city of Saranda. He was considered one of the most wanted clan bosses in the world.
The head of the Albanian police, Ardi Veliu, personally brought the alleged chief of the drug mafia to the capital Tirana. There, Balili was taken into custody. He has to answer charges of suspected drug trafficking, belonging to an organized criminal group, tax evasion and money laundering.
The man, also known as "Pablo Escobar of the Balkans", is considered one of the most important masterminds of drug trafficking from Latin America through the Balkans to Western and Northern Europe. The Albanian authorities have been seeking arrest warrants for two years.
Balili is considered to be well connected in Albanian politics, he was even for years official in the state administration. This enabled him for a long time to operate his business unhindered and escaping attempts to arrest by the police, as he apparently had informants in investigator circles.
It became internationally known in May 2016, when the Greek police, in collaboration with the US Antidrogen Authority DEA on the island of Zakynthos, ensured 670 kilograms of cannabis.
Balili managed to escape at the time. Several members of his gang were arrested. Since then, Greek investigators are searching for him. The United States, through its ambassador in Tirana, had called on the Albanian authorities to arrest Balili. Albania is a member of NATO and a candidate for EU membership.