Five people have been arrested in the Greater Highlands and two employees of hoti Khan Border Point have been put under house arrest after being charged as part of a migrant trafficking ring.
The police said the operation was carried out in cooperation with U.S. authorities. This group, through falsification of documents, enabled the illegal passage of persons to Canada and the UNITED STATES.
Police announcement:
The State Police developed in cooperation with SPAK and us partners another police operational plan.
The operational plan codenamed "HOTI", against the criminal activity of providing assistance to Albanian citizens for illegal passage from PKK Hani i Hoti, with canada and America destination.
Operational Plan, from the Criminal Group Investigation Department to the Directorate for Investigation of Organized Crime in the DPA, in cooperation with DVP Shkodra, the Special Operational Force, the BKH and the Joint Shield Task Force of the Federal Agency of diplomatic security service of the U.S. Embassy in Tirana, in the framework of a criminal proceeding of 2023.
The security measures, set by the GJKKO, are executed for 5 citizens:
"Arrest in prison" for the organizer of this criminal activity;
"House arrest", for two citizens implicated in this criminal activity and for two PKK employees Hani i Hoti who are charged with abuse of office.
They are located in the residences of these citizens and are seized: 8125 euros, 625 000 ALL, 3060 US dollars, 240 Canadian dollars, as well as 17 mobile phones, 3 vehicles, 1 USB, 21 field areas, notebooks, entry and exit registers, travel tickets, payment mandates and bank mandates.
Within the police operational plan were executed:
-Security measure "Arrest in prison", for citizen L. M., 56, resident in Malësi e Madhe, for the criminal offenses "Assistance for illegal crossing of borders", carried out within the structured criminal group, "Illegal crossing of the state border", "Falsification of IDs, passports and visas" and "Exercising illegal influence on persons exercising public functions";
The "House Arrest" security measures for citizens:
E. M., 24, and G.C., 49, both residents of The Great Highlands, for the criminal offense "Aiding illegal crossing of borders", committed in cooperation;
T.M., 55, resident in Malësi i Madhe and B.C., 58, resident in Shkodra, respectively assistant pecialist, second line controller in PKK Hani i Hotit and responsible for the PKK Hani i Hotit, for the criminal offense "Abuse of Office".
The Special Court of First Instance Against Corruption and Organized Crime, with decision no. 81 on 21.07.2024 and with decision no. No. 453 dated 21.07.2024, has appointed these security measures, as from the investigation it has resulted that these citizens, in cooperation with each other, through false documents and nonregistration in the TIMS system, have passed to PKK Hani i Hoti, Albanian citizens who had destinations in Canada and America.
The procedurale materials were passed to the Special Prosecution Against Corruption and Organized Crime, for further investigation.