The high profile arrests come following those of Aldo Bare and Lulëzim Berisha
TIRANA, April 27 - Albanian police arrested on Thursday three of the country’s most wanted men, accused of being leaders of an international drug trafficking group, the Interior Ministry said.
The arrests happen in the early hours of the morning with Gëzim Salillari, Ilir Sukaj and Artur Vaqo being arrested in Durres Beach.
They had been wanted by Italian authorities since 2001, accused of leading a powerful drugs smuggling ring extending its influence as far as Germany
Police said Vaqo is the head of the group, while the Albanian public is more familiar with the name of Salillari, known by his nickname “Gëzimi i Kashtës.” He is the owner of a posh bar in Durres Beach, allegedly frequented by high level politicians.
The arrests come following those of Aldo Bare and Lulëzim Berisha who together with Salillari had in the past been considered untouchable by police, although their illegal affairs where widely spoken about in the media.
Vaqo, also known as “Tur Labi,” moved around using a fake identity, according to police. The other two had been hiding.
The Thursday arrests are considered a success by law enforcement in Albania and as the last blow in a series of high profile arrests against organized crime in Albania, according to the Interior Ministry.
All three arrested on Thursday are accused of international drugs trafficking, participation in organized criminal organization, human trafficking and illegally bearing arms.
Italian authorities managed to arrest 27 other men in March 2001 in a large operation against the group that linked Durrës to Italy and up to the German state of Bavaria.
The three leaders arrested on Wednesday managed to escape authorities and had been on the run ever since. Vaqo was the crime boss, while Salillari headed the distribution of heroin in Italy, authorities said.
Salillari’s nick name became public last year when Socialist party officials accused political rivals from the Socialist Movement for Integration of hanging at the bar he owned in Durres.
The bar which was rented at the heart of a government compound in Durres Beach has been for years a hot spot for politicians, according the Albanian media.
The three men arrested on Wednesday were part of a rival group to that that of Lulezim Berisha, who was arrested recently in Macedonia.
The arrests also come following accusation by government officials that prosecutors were sleeping on the files of two of the men, who had international warrants on their heads since 2002.
Officials with the Severe Crime Prosecution, for which the men are now being held, said they are now waiting for the full scope of documentation to come from Italy to document the alleged crimes.
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