Tirana police arrested 39-year-old Dh. Sh., a resident of Kras village in Tepelena, at Rinas in flagrante delicto during the anti-drug operation codenamed Package 6.[1] The man had arrived from Thailand carrying a suitcase with 19 kg and 400 g of cannabis sativa with a high THC percentage, which officers seized as material evidence.[1] Police said he had brought the suitcase from Thailand intending to sell the drugs in Albania.[1]

The same detection was described by UNODC as 20 kilograms of cannabis sativa concealed in a passenger’s luggage arriving on an international flight at Tirana International Airport in May 2025.[2] The reported precise weight was 19.4 kg of cannabis with a high THC percentage hidden in his suitcase.[1] Police put the value of the seized narcotics at 388 thousand euros.[1]

The operation was carried out by Tirana narcotics investigators with the Rinas police commissariat under the direction of the Tirana prosecution after information from the national Narcotics Investigation Directorate.[1] Airport Control Units are dedicated frontline teams of customs, border police and other law enforcement officers who target high-risk passengers and cargo.[2] UNODC said the Tirana unit operates within the EU-UNODC Joint Action on targeted border controls at ports and airports in South-Eastern Europe.[2]

Investigators said inquiries continue to identify others who may have been involved.[1] The procedural materials were sent to the Tirana prosecution for further action.[1]