Accused Albanian drug lord surrenders to police

One of Albania's most wanted drug traffickers surrendered to police on Tuesday after almost three years on the run on charges of smuggling narcotics by neighboring Greece.

Klement Balili had avoided capture since May, 2016 thanks to his network of support in the southern coastal area of Sarande and alleged political ties, casting doubt on NATO member Albania's resolve to fight big crime bosses.

In February, 2017, pressure from its Western allies forced Albania to convene its security council to make Balili's seizure a priority since his drug ring had spread to the territory of neighbouring countries and NATO allies.

Interior Minister Sander Lleshaj told reporters Balili's arrest meant Albanian police, who had mounted more than a dozen failed operations to catch him, had made an historic leap» in overcoming their "mindset failure" to catch big crime bosses...