FLASH NEWS
Trafficking network dismantled in Reggio Emilia, 9 arrest warrants issued, including 8 Albanians
2026-01-20 12:21:15 / AKTUALITET
The Italian police in Reggio Emilia executed in the early hours of the morning a preliminary detention order issued by the Preliminary Investigation Judge at the Court of Bologna, at the request of the Anti-Mafia Directorate of the Bologna District, against nine people, eight of Albanian origin and one Italian, suspected of criminal conspiracy for the purpose of drug trafficking. The operation was carried out by the Reggio Emilia Police Flying Squad, in coordination with the Central Operations Service of the Italian Police, as well as with the support of the International Police Cooperation Service, which activated the Interpol network for the distribution of arrest warrants at an international level, in close cooperation with the Albanian authorities.
Arrests and checks are being carried out in several Italian provinces, including Reggio Emilia, Bergamo, Brescia and Savona, as well as outside Italy, specifically in France, Spain and Albania, thanks to the collaboration with the relevant police forces, in particular with the Albanian Criminal Police Department. The operation, codenamed “STURL ONE”, is a continuation of the previous investigations TREXIT 2019 and BLACK MAMBA, which in 2021 and 2022 had led to the execution of 35 restrictive measures. These investigations revealed the existence of several criminal organizations active in the province of Reggio Emilia, including two structured groups with Albanian nationals, involved in the massive supply of cocaine.
According to investigators, one of the organizations was led by an Albanian citizen residing in Italy, who frequently traveled abroad and had the key role of intermediary for the provision of drugs in the Emilia-Romagna region since 2018. The criminal group was equipped with large financial and logistical resources, importing cocaine, hashish and marijuana from South America, Northern Europe and Spain, hidden in trucks with agricultural products and then distributed throughout Italy by couriers. For communication, the suspects used the encrypted SkyECC platform, installed on special phones worth thousands of euros. Analysis of intercepted conversations, obtained through a European Investigation Order, allowed the reconstruction of the criminal activity and the identification of the roles of each member, leading to the filing of 44 criminal charges. According to authorities, during just six months of monitoring, the organization managed to move over 200 kilograms of cocaine and around 1,000 kilograms of hashish and marijuana, profiting millions of euros.
In total, 15 people are under investigation, while dozens of checks were carried out during the operation with the participation of around 50 police officers. In parallel, in the province of Brescia, a Moroccan citizen was arrested in flagrante delicto, after over 2 kg of marijuana, 1 kg of hashish and 5,800 euros in cash were found on him, on suspicion of drug distribution. Italian authorities consider the operation a significant blow to international drug trafficking networks and an example of effective police cooperation between European countries and Albania.
Happening now...
ideas
top
Alfa recipes
TRENDING 
services
- POLICE129
- STREET POLICE126
- AMBULANCE112
- FIREFIGHTER128