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Albanian mafia invades cocaine market in Ticino, Swiss media: 'Drug horses' are dominating the canton

2026-05-13 10:53:30Aktualitet SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Albanian mafia invades cocaine market in Ticino, Swiss media: 'Drug
Illustrative photo

The Albanian mafia has taken over the Ticino market (Switzerland, near the Italian border), through a vast network of young dealers, known as "cavallini" or "drug horses". Young people, often unemployed, arrive in Italy from Albania by plane or train, then enter Ticino, often in a rented car. They stay for several months, long enough to sell the drugs that the organization gives them in exchange for a monthly salary of 500-1,000 francs, which they can spend or send to their families. And what about the income from drug sales? It goes to the organization.

On April 29, a 24-year-old Albanian was arrested in Capolago with 54 grams of cocaine. This is just the latest case in a long series, Swiss media reports.

In 2025, 122 people were arrested in Ticino for drug trafficking, compared to 78 in 2024 (+56%). Now, half of the prisoners in Ticino's prisons are behind bars for this type of crime.

"The Cavallinis are part of a network that has been created, which is a complete criminal organization, and it is very well planned, you have to admit. They come and go. They are here for a short time: a few months (Schengen area, three-month stay with a tourist visa).

So if the police arrest a Cavallino, they only catch him…” says an early user we met at Ciani Park in Lugano. The rest is done by the code of silence, which in the case of the Albanian mafia is the rule.

The strategy works.

"Today these dealers operate throughout the canton, even in the Locarno area, where until a few years ago they were invisible," explains Paolo Lopa, Chief Commissioner of the cantonal police and head of the anti-drug unit.

The secret to their success: high-quality cocaine (60% to 80% purity) at relatively low prices.

“It's the law of the market,” reveals Lopa. “Nobody,” he continues, “can compete with this quality at these prices today.”

In Ticino, the Albanian mafia does not occupy city squares or neighborhoods. It discreetly infiltrates the homes of consumers, exploiting their vulnerability and dependence, informs the Swiss media "RSI" with an extensive report on the matter.

"The rapprochement between the dealer and the Ticino residents who will then receive them occurs in three stages," says Marcello Cartolano, head of the illegal substances sector and deputy director of Ingrado.

"First, they exploit their vulnerability and isolation, then they seek hospitality in exchange for free use, and finally they create a relationship of total substance dependence."

The news often shows that the person who welcomes a pony into their home in Ticino is a woman. “For these people, having a pony in their home is also a relational and emotional element,” notes Cartolano.

The widespread availability of cocaine has led to an increase in cocaine use. Ingrado’s 2025 report documents the phenomenon: the “Pipe Crack” project is a harm reduction initiative for which Ingrado distributed 2,624 kits (sterile glass or aluminum tubes), reaching 203 users, a 41% increase compared to the previous year.

"After 5-10 minutes, the effect wears off, but the user feels an irresistible desire to continue. And, in addition to the great unpredictability, violent aggression can also appear."

And it was precisely in this context that the crime on Via Mirasole in Bellinzona took place on the night of January 27 and 28: a situation marked by the drug addiction of the young man who fatally stabbed his 46-year-old mother and seriously injured her partner. It was an episode that particularly shocked those in the industry.

"It's a wake-up call. People are losing control and are completely at the mercy of the substance," warns Cartolano.

And the phenomenon is very difficult to combat also because, for those suffering from addiction, these Albanian traffickers are often not seen as criminals, but as someone who provides a service that fills an existential void.

“Now,” the consumer concludes, “there are Albanians, and thank God they are here, even if they are in pieces. Because the addictions are here, they have always been here. They have the right to be taken. If they don’t do it, there will be someone else who will anyway. I don’t know if you understand what I mean, because there is a shortage, people are suffering. Because many people think it is not so, but in reality it is.”


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