Albania Arrests Group Smuggling People to US

Albanian police said the four-month investigation was aided by exchanges of information between the office of the prosecutor for serious crimes and US law enforcement agencies.

“Fifteen suspects have been detained while an international warrant has been issued for another one,” the general directorate of police said.

During the arrests in several cities, police seized $68,650 (€50,000) in cash and an AK-47 automatic rifle.

According to the 2013 US State Department Report on Trafficking in Persons, Albania does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking despite making significant efforts to do so.

The report notes that Albania’s Serious Crimes Prosecution office reported investigating 11 human trafficking suspects in 2012, compared with 27 suspects in 2011

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