Albanian police

Greek police are investigating reports according to which criminal rings are transporting weapons from Albania to Jihadists involved in Islamic State activities in Syria via Greece, Kathimerini understands.

Albania is recovering from false Ebola alarm after police detained 38 Eritrean immigrants in a mountainous area and arrested two suspected traffickers on Tuesday.

EU and the Balkans co-operate against human trafficking

Germany and France have agreed to establish joint expert working groups with Albania and Serbia.

The EU is engaging Balkan countries to slow the tide of human trafficking from the Middle East, Africa and Asia by providing additional support for refugees who legally arrive in Union states.

Police are still battling to take control of the village in southern Albania, which Italian financial police say produced 900 metric tons of marijuana last year, with an estimated street value of €4.5 billion.

Police on Wednesday said that over the last three days they had destroyed more 70,000 cannabis plants, over 12 tons of marijuana, two drugs labs, weapons and ammunition.

Police come under fire in Albanian drug village

TIRANA -- A clash between the police and "cannabis growers" in the village of Lazarat in Albania has resulted in six arrests and the wounding of one policeman.

The Albanian media report that the police "are not giving up and continue the operation in Lazarat," which began on Sunday night.

Police on Monday launched a pre-dawn raid on the village which produced an estimated 900 metric tons of marijuana last year and has been a no-go area for the authorities for more than a decade.

Albania increases anti-drug trafficking measures

The government acts after an airplane carrying drugs crashed and reports surfaced of potential misuse of military airports by drug traffickers.

Large slabs of concrete that block the runways at three military airports are the latest tool to slow the flow of illegal drugs in Albania.

Albanian police said the four-month investigation was aided by exchanges of information between the office of the prosecutor for serious crimes and US law enforcement agencies.

“Fifteen suspects have been detained while an international warrant has been issued for another one,” the general directorate of police said.

Albanian police said they arrested Pashja on Tuesday in cooperation with the Turkish police, following an international arrest warrant issued by a Tirana’s Serious Crimes Court on March 10.

Earlier, eight people, including two radical imams, were arrested in Albania on March 12, accused of recruiting Albanian citizens to fight in the bloody civil war in Syria.

Arrests aid terrorism fight in Albania

The arrests of five suspects bring a long-desired relief from a terror group's actions.

Albanian officers conduct an anti-terrorism exercise. Security experts have urged the country's law enforcement agencies to work jointly to prevent acts of terrorism. [AFP]