Operation King George: Italian-Albanian drug trafficking network dismantled in Lombardy
Seven arrests and eight precautionary measures in Operation "King George" against a transnational trafficking organisation between Milan and tourist coastal areas.
Italian-Albanian drug trafficking network dismantled between Milan and the North East
Google News IT — Crime (it) reports the dismantling of a suspected transnational Italian-Albanian organisation engaged in drug trafficking in Lombardy, Liguria and Tuscany, carried out by the financial police unit of the Economic-Financial Police Division of Trieste as part of Operation "King George", coordinated by the Anti-Mafia District Directorate of Milan with support from the Central Investigation Service for Organised Crime of the Guardia di Finanza.
The logistical bases of the group were distributed across several provinces in northern Italy: Milan, Monza Brianza, Brescia, Lecco and Pavia. The investigation began with the detention of two couriers at Latisana, near Lignano Sabbiadoro (Udine). Investigators subsequently reconstructed a pyramidal structure that supplied drug dealing operations in Lombardy and, during the summer months, tourist destinations in the North East.
To operate discreetly, the association relied on encrypted chats, frequently replaced mobile phones and SIM cards, and motor vehicles with hidden compartments — including an Alfa Romeo Stelvio specifically modified for transporting drugs. For distribution, young Albanians without criminal records were recruited, brought into Italy as ordinary tourists for periods not exceeding ninety days, then replaced by other nationals. The drugs — cocaine, marijuana and hashish — came from Balkan routes and were stored in flats rented by unindicted nominees. In the Pavia countryside the organisation had also set up its own greenhouse for marijuana cultivation. During searches, the military seized more than ninety kilograms of drugs: 64 kilograms of marijuana in Sesto San Giovanni and 20 kilograms of cocaine in Saronno. Three firearms with erased serial numbers, equipped with ammunition, were also recovered.
The final outcome of the operation totalled seven arrests in flagrante delicto and eight custodial precautionary orders issued by the judge for preliminary investigations in Milan. The total number of persons under investigation is thirty-three. Asset checks by the Guardia di Finanza made it possible to reconstruct illicit profits of 1.1 million euros. The Milan Prosecutor's Office issued an urgent seizure order that affected current accounts, real estate, motor vehicles and luxury watches traceable to the organisation.
Source: Google News IT — Crime (it)