Five individuals were apprehended in Tirana, with one of them being an assembly member of Kosovo’s ruling party, Self-Determination Movement, as revealed by the Albanian Police on Tuesday.
The Chief of the Tirana Police, Tonin Vocaj, shared during a press briefing on August 15 that their arrest followed an extensive investigation carried out over several months as part of a mission code-named “PUNISHER 2”.
“Based on our investigations, we found that these individuals were exploiting the tourist season’s influx to smuggle shipments via the Pristina-Tirana bus lines. Once the shipments arrived in Tirana, they were transferred using rented vehicles to various locations, mainly coastal towns, where they orchestrated exchanges in bustling public areas,” Vocaj explained.
Among those detained, three are Albanian citizens, while the remaining two are Kosovars. They stand accused of distributing ecstasy within nightclubs situated in Tirana’s former “Blloku” district, with the narcotics suspected to have been trafficked from Kosovo to Albania.
Besnik Mujeci, aged 40, is one of those arrested and is a member of the ruling Self-Determination Movement in Pristina’s municipal assembly.
Arlind Manxhuka, the Media and Communication Secretary of Self-Determination, confirmed to Radio Free Europe that the party’s commission had initiated a disciplinary case against Mujeci.
“Upon receiving this information, we promptly initiated a disciplinary procedure. The Self-Determination Disciplinary Commission will convene an urgent meeting to address this matter. We will notify you of the outcome following the meeting,” Manxhuka stated.
The suspects were caught with a shipment suspected to contain narcotics, including 11,300 MDMA ecstasy tablets weighing a total of 5.093 kilograms, with an estimated market value of approximately 400,000 euros.
Evidence has been secured to substantiate the criminal activities of this group consisting of five individuals.
The other detainees are Mithat Ramadani, aged 30, a resident of Pristina, as well as Kalem Picari, aged 24, Ambra Myftari, aged 28, and Daniel Avdija, aged 26, residents of Tirana.
In addition to the MDMA ecstasy tablets, the authorities also confiscated a quantity of cannabis, a vehicle, and five mobile phones.
