Caught with 200 kg of cocaine in Italy, 22-year-old Albanian speaks: I did it to help my poor family

2025-10-15 15:15:07Aktualitet SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Seized cocaine

The Carabinieri found two hundred kilograms of cocaine in his apartment in Tor Vergata, Rome, a quantity that would be worth 16 million euros if it were put on the market. This is 22-year-old Kristian Preni, arrested yesterday in Italy and currently in the Rebibbia prison. But the 22-year-old defended himself in his first testimony. "I got involved in a bad situation because my family is poor, lives in desperate and very difficult conditions," he told the investigating judge.

"When they stopped me, I was returning to Albania," he added. "It's the first time I've done something like this. The gun is not mine; I never bought it or used it," he said. A stolen Beretta 92 pistol and 30,000 euros in "cash" were also found in the apartment.

His father was an alcoholic and his mother unemployed. That's how he described the difficult family situation that would make him a pawn for drug traffickers. "I had been to Italy for short periods in the past, but I moved to Rome six months ago and looked for work as a plumber," he continued.

Kristian, for whom the investigating judge ordered pre-trial detention, is being defended by Italian lawyer Dalila Milano: "We will appeal to the Court of Appeal to request a non-custodial precautionary measure," she announced. However, the 22-year-old has not revealed anything about who hired him or the leadership of the criminal organization to which he belonged.

He was stopped for a search outside his home in Tor Vergata by the Carabinieri, who were suspicious of his behavior. He had a large sum of money in his pockets and backpack, but was listed as unemployed. The officers then proceeded to search the house, in consultation with the Rome prosecutor's office.

After the raid, the officers found themselves in front of a real drug center, used as a logistical base for the storage and distribution of drugs. 191 blocks of cocaine, with a total weight of two hundred kilograms, were hidden in different corners of the house. A special identification mark marked the different types of narcotics, ready to be released on the market, where they would bring in approximately 16 million euros.

The 22-year-old also evaded detection while transporting drug shipments thanks to a sophisticated mechanism. He had equipped his car with a false tailgate that opened by entering a code into a keypad and turning the ignition key.


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