Operation Shefi - 43 arrest orders against Bari-Tirana drug network
Italy's anti-mafia department in Bari issued 43 arrest orders against an Albanian-Italian network accused of ferrying light and hard drugs by speedboat; the joint team later confirmed 43 arrests and seizures worth EUR 15 million.
Italy’s anti-mafia department in Bari took down an Albanian-Italian drug-trafficking network on Wednesday 14 March 2018, issuing 43 arrest orders for around 20 Italians, 21 Albanians and a couple of Romanians.[1]Four of the suspects were arrested in Albania.[1]
The network, known under the Albanian code-name Shefi (the Boss), had been under investigation since 2016 and allegedly ferried both light and hard drugs to the Italian coast by speedboat, with seizures over the period valued at EUR 15 million.[1]More than 200 Italian and Albanian officers took part in the operation.[1]
Eurojust reported in December 2018 that the Italian-Albanian joint investigation team, set up in 2017 with its support, had so far led to the arrest of 43 people and the seizure of more than 2,300 kg of marijuana, cocaine and heroin worth EUR 15 million.[2]The agency said two powerful groups of Italian and Albanian nationals operated out of Bari and its environs while production, packaging and transfer were handled from Albania, and that the investigation was ongoing.[2]
Case data
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
The combined seizure figure covers marijuana, cocaine and heroin together, so the cannabis share alone is not known.
What happened to the 43 suspects in court after the arrests was not reported in these sources.
The December 2018 Eurojust release matches this case on 43 arrests and EUR 15 million, but if it proves to be a different joint-team case the two should be split.
State Police arrested a 48-year-old Italian man in Sesto San Giovanni after finding about 2 kg of hashish in a shopping bag near his home. A search found 50 grams of marijuana and cash; a Monza court validated the arrest and ordered him to report to the judicial police.
Police in Ficarazzi arrested a 29-year-old man from Palermo after finding 10 hashish wraps and 145 euros near Piazza San Pio. A search of his home seized two further blocks weighing 49.40 grams, and he was held for validation of the arrest.
Carabinieri in Zagarolo arrested a 44-year-old man after personal and home searches found 50 grams of cocaine in 82 doses and 7 grams of marijuana. The man was held for a fast-track validation hearing after officers also seized 95 euros and a mobile phone.
State police dog Rex led officers to a Catania home where a 20-year-old had hidden 252 grams of marijuana and 34 grams of hashish with a scale and vacuum sealer. The man was arrested for possession with intent to deal and held for a fast-track trial.
