Saimir Tahiri

Fugitive Albanian Ex-Police Officer Convicted of Drug Trafficking

Albania Special Prosecutors Office in Tirana. Photo: Albanian Prosecution Office.

Tirana's Special Court Against Organised Crime and Corruption found Sokol Bode, chief of police in the southern Albanian village of Dhermi, guilty in absentia.

Bode has been on the run since Italian police cracked a cannabis smuggling ring dubbed 'the Habilaj Brothers.'

‘They’re Police’: Hapless Albanian Drug Couriers and a Minister’s Muscle

Their story, contained in court documents seen by BIRN, speaks to the well-placed connections that grease the wheels of Albanian drug trafficking, connections that in the case of Seferi and Ajdini stretched all the way to the security detail of the country's then interior minister.

Drug deal negotiated under police guard

Albanian Police Arrested in International Anti-Drug Trafficking Raids

A screen from Italian police footage showing drug seizures during the operation.

Among those arrested are both current and former Albanian police officers. SPAK described two of the arrested as officers who "at the time when they carried out their illegal activities in 2016 were members of the staff of the [then] Minister of Interior".

Albanian Opposition Stages Mass Protest Against Govt

Thousands of Albanians joined the anti-government protests held on Saturday in Albanian capital of Tirana, demanding resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama and Interior Minister Fatmir Xhafaj over alleged role in drug smuggling.

Protesters threw stones at the main government buildings. According to the police, 11 people were injured, mostly police officers.

Albania Fires Prosecutor in Ex-Minister's Drugs Case

In a statement released on Wednesday Marku said that his office believes that the sacking of Hajdarmataj "will bring results in fast and effective penal proceedings for cases with a high priority."

Hajdarmataj however told BIRN that he didn't knew the reason for his firing, but he expected to be able to continue to work on Tahiri's case.

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