Police crack down on an international network of trafficking women for prostitution. The organizer of the trafficking, Colombian citizen Lucas Betancur, has been arrested in Colombia.
In Albania, Assel Adrysheva, Rostyslav Mieshkov, Denis Berisha, Mirel Shpërdheja, Dritan Sukaj, Ilmar Gugashi and Kejvin Ndreu were arrested.
Full announcement:
Tirana/Intensive cooperation with international partners to combat human trafficking for the purpose of exploitation for prostitution.
The international police operation "The Network" is finalized after 8 months of investigations.
The operation was carried out by the Section for the Investigation of Illicit Trafficking at the DVP Tirana, under the direction of the Prosecutor's Office, in close cooperation with the Prosecutor's Office and the National Police of Colombia, the Croatian Police, EUROPOL and EUROJUST.
A criminal group that trafficked women from Latin American and Central Asian countries, with the aim of exploiting them for prostitution, in Albania, was targeted.
Security measures (7 of them "Arrest in prison") are being executed in Albania for 9 members of the criminal group.
The group's organizer, a Colombian citizen, is arrested in Colombia.
Two other citizens, members of the group, are being sought.
48 foreign nationals are being prosecuted for practicing prostitution.
A hotel is discovered on "Reshit Collaku" street, where several foreign nationals were accommodated and used for prostitution.
Sums of money, 7 cell phones, and other evidence valuable to the investigation were seized.
The Illicit Trafficking Investigation Section at the Tirana Police Department, as part of a proactive investigation launched in February 2025, under the direction of the Prosecution, successfully finalized the police operation codenamed "The Network", with the objective of cracking down on a criminal group that trafficked women from Latin American and Central Asian countries, with the aim of exploiting them for prostitution, in Albania, through online platforms.
As part of the operation:
- the security measure "Arrest in prison" was executed, for the citizens: AA, 43 years old, RM, 53 years old, DB, 39 years old, M. Sh., 28 years old, DS, 37 years old, IG, 35 years old and KN, 25 years old;
- the security measure "Obligation to appear before the judicial police" was executed, for the citizens ZB, 25 years old and KC, 29 years old;
- 2 other citizens, members of the criminal group, were declared wanted.
Also, the organizer of the criminal activity, citizen LB, 25 years old, was arrested in Colombia.
The investigations suspect that:
-citizen LB played the main role in recruiting girls from Latin American countries and organizing their travel and accommodation in Albania, where they were then forced to engage in prostitution. In case of refusal, LB exerted pressure and threats against the girls and their families in Colombia. This citizen collaborated with citizen DS to ensure the conditions for the girls' accommodation and manage the prostitution network;
-citizen IG had adapted a hotel on "Reshit Collaku" street, in Tirana, as a place for accommodating girls and exploiting them for prostitution;
-citizens AA and KN exploited for prostitution several citizens from Kazakhstan, whom they housed in this hotel;
-citizen DB provided narcotics to several girls and provided clients for prostitution;
-citizen KP (previously arrested), collected the proceeds from criminal activity and transferred them via cryptocurrencies to the accounts of citizen LB
The procedural materials have been referred to the Tirana Prosecutor's Office for further investigations.
This operation is a concrete example of successful international and institutional cooperation. Cooperation with international institutions has played a key role in the success of the operation.
The State Police remains committed to cracking down on criminal activities that violate the lives and dignity of citizens and will continue to cooperate with national and international partners to crack down on any criminal activity.
