The international media outlet La Politica Online has dedicated a long and detailed article to the role of the Albanian mafia in transnational organized crime networks, highlighting its links to notorious drug traffickers such as Sebastián Marset and Diego Benítez. According to this report, criminal groups of Albanian origin, in collaboration with Greek and Turkish gangs, are extending their influence from Southeast Europe to the Middle East, exporting extreme violence and contract killings to countries that were previously considered safe havens for crime bosses.
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Allied with Greek and Turkish gangs, former partners of Paraguayan drug traffickers are trying to control trafficking in Southeast Europe by “cleaning up” their rivals. This development marks the end of what was considered a “paradise” for Marset for years.
The so-called “Balkan mafia,” linked to fugitives Sebastián Marset and Diego Benítez, has exported its deadly violence to the United Arab Emirates. This criminal network, in alliance with Greek and Turkish gangs, is turning Dubai into a bloody international battlefield. What was once a safe haven for big crime bosses has now become the main stage for professional executions and settling scores between rival groups.
Recently, the murder of Turkish-Dutch mobster Eyhmus Muhittinolu on one of Dubai’s busiest avenues shook the foundations of security in the region. The attack, carried out by armed hitmen, is attributed to the criminal organization “Entik”, which leads a transnational criminal coalition. This act marks a significant turning point in the export of contract killings from Europe to territories that until recently guaranteed impunity and peace for international criminals.
The “Entik” network, led by a boss from the Soviet diaspora, has consolidated a strategic alliance with the Balkan mafia and Turkish criminal groups. This structure uses Albanian and Ukrainian mercenaries to carry out systematic “cleansing” operations against its competitors on the European continent. The goal of this coalition is to monopolize the logistical control of drug trafficking and smuggling, eliminating any form of resistance through extreme and organized violence.
International investigations link this criminal network to Uruguayan Sebastián Marset and Paraguayan Diego Benítez, who operated through Balkan logistics. Benítez, through his company Tupá SA, facilitated the shipment of tons of cocaine to Europe, in collaboration with Albanian boss Franc Çopja. These criminal relationships allowed the organization to establish strong bases in South America, before extending its armed wing to the Middle East.
From his stronghold in Dubai, the leader known by the nickname “Entik” coordinates the elimination of key figures in the Greek and Turkish underworld. According to estimates, the organization pays up to one million euros for each targeted assassination, using entire groups of highly trained mercenaries. This “cleansing” strategy aims to ensure absolute dominance over fuel and tobacco smuggling, as well as over international drug trafficking.
The hitmen employed by this criminal alliance display an alarming level of professionalism, using military tactics and heavy combat weaponry. One of the most sensational cases was the murder of Vangelis Zambounis, executed by gunfire inside an armored vehicle in the middle of Athens, in January 2024. The network prefers to use foreign specialists to guarantee the elimination of targets without leaving a trace and without any possibility of failure.
Dubai, according to reports, has ceased to be the haven of impunity that Marset and his associates used to manage their finances and hide from justice. Local authorities, in cooperation with Interpol, have significantly intensified surveillance, leading to reports of possible arrests of key figures, including leaders such as "Entik."
Criminal organizations continue to use informal money transfer systems, such as “hawala”, which allow millions of dollars to be transferred without any bank registration. These financial mechanisms are essential for financing the logistics of international contract killings and for maintaining active operational cells on different continents. In parallel, the use of false identities and European passports allows members of these networks to cross borders while avoiding traditional migration controls.
Paraguay, according to La Politica Online, remains a key logistics hub, where organizations such as Primeiro Comando Capital (PCC), Comando Vermelho (CV) and transnational networks such as the Balkan mafia manage the purchase, processing and packaging of drugs. Local cells deal with the concealment of cocaine in legal products before it is sent to European ports considered more vulnerable, such as Antwerp and Hamburg. This South American connection constitutes the economic engine that finances the global expansion and violent campaigns of this criminal alliance in Europe and Asia.
Multinational operations such as “A Ultranza Py” and “Balcanes” have revealed the depth of these connections, yet the leaders of the organizations continue to operate from behind the scenes. The capture of the leaders in Dubai is now considered a top priority for international authorities, with the aim of dismantling this criminal “syndicate” that unites Albanian, Greek and Turkish groups. The globalization of contract killings, the article emphasizes, requires a coordinated and determined response from security agencies, to curb a violence that no longer knows geographical boundaries.
