Sali Berisha gave a speech at the discussions of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, where he accused Albanians of being the main leaders of international drug trafficking and labeled the Albanian government as linked to criminal clans.
In his speech, Berisha declared that Albanian drug clans are among the main exporters of cannabis and important players in the European cocaine and heroin market, citing high percentages of market control in Great Britain and Germany. He described Albania as a “haven for trafficking money” and accused Prime Minister Edi Rama of links to criminal networks, using terms such as “narco-dictator” and comparing him to authoritarian figures.
Berisha also claimed that after the May 11 elections, hundreds of construction permits were granted as "reward" for the interference of criminal clans in the electoral process, and raised accusations of leaks of sensitive data from state institutions to criminal groups and enemies of NATO.
However, Berisha is not a member of the official Albanian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. From the Democratic Party, Albana Vokshi is part of the delegation, and according to political sources, Berisha may have used the presence or space of the delegation to speak at this international forum.
