Six Albanians in the UK have been sentenced to prison, accused of being members of a criminal drug trafficking group.
These are Saimir Neziraj, Nertil Halili, Edmir Beqiri, Ergys Abdyli, Ardian Gjeta and Jorgo Brachousai.
According to a statement from Wiltshire Police , their arrest came after a six-month investigation, dubbed “Operation Young.” Officers from the Serious and Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), managed to identify all the locations used by the Albanians to hide the narcotics.
The criminal group was led by Saimir Neziraj. He controlled a cocaine line, called "Denzel", which supplied all the regular users in Swindon.
According to the created scheme, Neziraj collected the money and provided the narcotics, Beqiri stored the cocaine in the warehouse, while Gjeta and Brachousai distributed the drugs every day.
The Albanians were traced on February 1, 2024, when officers spotted Neziraj driving to London. Neziraj took the drugs from Abdyl, to transfer them to Swindon. This quantity of narcotics was then stored and guarded by Beqiri.
Meanwhile, Nertil Halili in Derbyshire played the role of “manager.” He held “Denzel’s” phone and, with the help of Neziraj, organized the distribution of cocaine on the streets of Swindon.
The biggest mistake made by this criminal group, which provided the most evidence to the authorities, was in March 2024, when blue uniforms saw Halili and Neziraj meeting in the West Bromwich area of the Midlands. At this meeting, Halili gave Neziraj his phone.
Subsequently, officers from Wiltshire, Derbyshire and the Metropolitan Police carried out a series of coordinated raids in Swindon, Derby and north London during early March 2024, when large amounts of cash and drugs were seized, as well as the defendants being arrested.
Meanwhile, the members of the criminal group have admitted to the crime they committed. Thus, the defendants were sentenced:
Saimir Neziraj, 32 years old, sentenced to 8 years in prison
Nertil Halili, 29 years old, 7 years and 10 months imprisonment
Edmir Beqiri, 37 years old, 3 years and 8 months in prison
Ergys Abdyli, 26 years old, 5 years and 11 months imprisonment
Ardian Gjeta, 26 years old, 2 years and 1 month in prison
Jorgo Brachousai, 24 years old, 16 months imprisonment.
The officer in charge of this case, DC Hunt from SOCU, in a media statement, spoke about the importance of cracking down on this criminal group in Swindon.
"As a team, we worked tirelessly for several months to identify exactly how the group operated. Cocaine is a devastating drug that affects our communities. I am confident that the operation has had a real impact on the cocaine suppliers in Swindon. Keeping our communities safe is of paramount importance and I would urge members of our communities to come forward with any information they have regarding the supply of the drug," he said.