A 38-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of being involved in a criminal network of human trafficking to the United States.
It is reported that the Criminal Police Department, in cooperation with the Criminal Investigation Unit at the United States Diplomatic Security Service present at the US Embassy in Tirana, has penetrated the criminal network accused of smuggling dozens of Albanian citizens from Europe to the United States.
This activity is suspected to have begun in 2020, while 48-year-old Sinan Kovaçi , a resident of Tirana, and the other suspects in the investigation, have facilitated the illegal passage of Albanian and foreign citizens from within Albania to the United States, in exchange for a payment of 30-40 thousand dollars per person.
Police announcement:
An Albanian citizen involved in human trafficking to the United States of America has been arrested.
On 26.02.2025, the Criminal Police Department, through the Joint Investigation Unit and in cooperation with the Tirana Prosecutor's Office and the Criminal Investigation Unit at the United States Diplomatic Security Service present at the US Embassy in Tirana, has penetrated a criminal network accused of smuggling dozens of Albanian citizens from Europe to the United States. This activity is suspected to have started in 2020.
Based on an arrest warrant issued by the Court of General Jurisdiction of Tirana, one of the suspects, citizen SK, 48 years old, resident of Tirana, has been arrested.
The arrested person and the other suspects in the investigation have facilitated the illegal passage of Albanian and foreign citizens from within Albania to the United States, in exchange for a payment of 30-40 thousand dollars per person.
Investigations continue together with other law enforcement partners, inside and outside Albania, to document the criminal activity of other individuals involved in this human smuggling network.
The State Police takes this opportunity to once again thank the General Prosecutor's Office of the Tirana Jurisdiction and the commitment of US law enforcement partners, for their cooperation and coordination in this criminal investigation.