Tirana Police, in cooperation with the Prosecutor’s Office, Colombian authorities, Croatian Police, and with the support of EUROPOL and EUROJUST, successfully finalized the international operation codenamed “The Network.”

This operation targeted a structured criminal group involved in trafficking women from Latin American countries and Central Asia, with the purpose of exploiting them for prostitution in Albania.

Currently in Colombia are the case prosecutor, Ritvan Sukaj, along with senior officials from the Tirana Local Police Directorate – specifically, Deputy Director of Crime Investigation in Tirana, Erion Ismaili, and Head of the Section for Investigation of Trafficking and Narcotics, Arbër Zemani.

The delegation has been in Colombia since Monday and, together with local authorities, worked to finalize the last details of this major international operation while actively participating in the joint action with their Colombian counterparts.

During the final stage of the operation in the city of Medellín, 10 individuals were arrested, suspected of being members of this international human trafficking network.

Operation “The Network” was made possible thanks to the support of European Union projects, specifically EU4FAST (EU Support to Strengthen the Fight against Migrant Smuggling and Trafficking in Human Beings in the Western Balkans), Western Balkans Criminal Justice (WBCrimJust), in cooperation with EMPACT (European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats).

This operation represents another clear example of the commitment of Albanian institutions, in partnership with international law enforcement agencies, to combat human trafficking and cross-border criminal activities.