Albanian state police

Athens Condemns Alleged Vote-Buying Arrest of Greek Politician in Albania

A Greek expatriate mayoral candidate in the southern Albanian municipality of Himara, Fredi Beleri, was arrested at midnight on Thursday by the Albanian police outside his business premises on suspicion of paying people for their votes, causing strong condemnation from officials in Athens.

Albanian Police Kill Gunman in Greek-Populated Village

Albanian police said Kostandinos Kacifa, 35, a citizen of Albania and Greece, was shot dead by officers who were attempting to arrest him after he fired on a police patrol in the ethnic Greek-populated village of Bularat in south Albania on Sunday.

The incident happened during celebrations in the village to mark 'Oxi Day', a Greek national holiday.

Albania Stages Major Operations Targeting Crime Gangs

Multiple police operations were staged on Sunday across Albania, with officers arresting more than two dozen people suspected of drug smuggling and confiscating guns and narcotics, police and prosecutors announced on Monday in Tirana.

The head of the Serious Crime Prosecution Office, Donika Prela, said the investigation started back in 2016 and was then extended across the country.

Albania's Cocaine Haul Draws Both Praise and Accusations

It was a fine day for Albanian's embattled police - whose image was badly tarnished reports of close connections between senior police officers and drug-lords last year.

An investigation that lasted about two weeks ended on Wednesday with police seizing a record quantity of Colombian cocaine.

Albania Moves War on Cannabis to Borders

In the first two months of 2017, police have prevented more than a dozen smuggler attempts to transport tons of cannabis into Italy or Greece, shifting their focus from a war against cannabis cultivation to a fight against its export.

An official Albanian State Police source told BIRN on Friday that the fight against drug smuggling attempts is a top priority at this time of year.