"BLACK GOLD" captured/ 670,000 liters of smuggled oil from Tunisia seized!

A quantity of 670,000 liters of suspected smuggled oil from Tunisia has been seized in Durrës.

The police also say that as part of the "Black Gold" operation , the ship used to smuggle oil, 14 identification and navigation documents, 10 cell phones and other documents that will serve the investigation into the case have been seized.

3 citizens were arrested and 5 others (Albanians and foreigners), members of the ship's crew, were released.

"As a result of the work of police intelligence and close cooperation between the Economic and Financial Crimes Investigation Section of the Durrës DVP, Anti-Smuggling and the Operational Support Section of the Investigation of the Durrës DVP, the Directorate for the Investigation of Economic and Financial Crimes of the DPPSh, the Border and Migration Directorate of Durrës, the Guardia di Finanza Durrës, the Durrës Customs Branch, the police operation codenamed "Black Gold" was organized and finalized."

During the operation, Syrian citizen MK, 45 years old, serving as the ship's captain, Albanian citizen EC, 43 years old, serving as the ship's sailor, and Indian citizen SV, 42 years old, serving as the ship's first officer, were arrested in flagrante delicto. The suspected organizers of this case, citizens ES, 59 years old, residing in Durrës, and FB, 29 years old, residing in Switzerland, were also identified and declared wanted.

Further, during this operation, the materials were referred to the Prosecutor's Office, where proceedings were initiated against 5 other members of the ship's crew, responsible for the maintenance of the vessel.

"From checks on the ship, in the ballasts that serve to balance the vehicle, 670,000 liters of suspected smuggled oil from Tunisia were found ," the police say.

The procedural materials were passed to the Prosecutor's Office for further action.