The Albanian criminal organization, described as the "first Albanian drug trafficking cartel" and led by Franc Çopja and Ervis Çela, is suspected of having circulated millions of euros earned from cocaine trafficking. According to the voluminous 282-page file, the group used not only the sea route, but also private planes purchased specifically for the transport of drugs from production sites.
In a December 2020 conversation on the encrypted app Sky ECC, Çela is alleged to have shipped an 8-ton shipment of cocaine and purchased a small plane for the purpose. Millions of euros in profits, transported mainly by passenger lines, were invested in properties and businesses in Albania and Europe. The money was usually delivered to closed premises such as garages, while in one case 595 thousand euros were recorded delivered domestically.
The investigation also uncovered unusual methods for hiding the money: from burying it under the roots of olive trees to turning it into gold bars, with amounts that could reportedly reach up to 1,000 kg of gold. The group had direct links with suppliers from Brazil, Paraguay and other Latin American countries, using ports of entry in these countries. The drugs were hidden in legal products such as exotic fruits, cereals, minerals and industrial goods.
The international operation by SPAK, Europol and other European agencies led to 15 arrest warrants, of which 6 people are still wanted. Çopja was arrested earlier in Belgium, while Çela was caught last month in Himara on another charge, that of murder. The investigations are focusing on two large shipments: 11.6 tons of cocaine from Paraguay to Belgium and 16.4 tons from Paraguay to Hamburg, Germany.
