Crackdown on the Albanian mafia in a joint operation by Ecuadorian and Spanish police

At least 30 people linked to the Albanian mafia were arrested on Tuesday February 6 during a joint operation by the Ecuadorian and Spanish police. They are accused of drug trafficking and laundering drug dollars.

The cocaine was imported by land from Colombia to Ecuador where the gang introduced the drug in containers of bananas destined in particular for Belgium, the Netherlands, Turkey and Albania. © Getty Images/Kickers

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With our correspondent in Quito,

Éric Samson

It has been two and a half years since investigators from both countries were on the trail of traffickers. They struck simultaneously in 57 searches in six Ecuadorian provinces and the Spanish cities of Barcelona, ​​Valencia, Marbella and Malaga in an operation dubbed “Pampa” in Madrid and “Grand Phoenix 13” in Quito.

Twelve people were captured in Spain, the rest in Ecuador, weapons, money, vehicles and real estate seized. The cocaine was imported by land from Colombia to Ecuador where the gang introduced the drug in containers of bananas destined in particular for Belgium, the Netherlands, Turkey and Albania. The organization used around ten legal companies for its import-export operations and to then launder money from trafficking, particularly in real estate.

Also read: Ecuador: record drug seizures since the declaration of a state of emergency at the beginning of the month

According to police, the network was led by Dritan Gjika, who has not been arrested. The one who posed as an Albanian businessman was close to Ruben Chérres, recently assassinated when he was accused of having organized a network of corruption in the public administration with Danilo Carrera, the brother-in-law of former president Guillermo Lasso.

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