In a coordinated operation on Tuesday, investigators from Italy and Albania dealt a significant blow to organized crime.

The operations, codenamed “Millennium” and “Ura”, targeted mafia networks in Calabria and Apulia, as well as an international drug and money laundering ring with links between Bari and the Albanian port city of Durrës.

‘Ndrangheta targeted by the Carabinieri

According to the Guardia di Finanza, the Italian operation “Millennium” targeted structures of the ‘Ndrangheta, one of the most influential mafia organizations in Europe. The investigations, coordinated by the anti-mafia prosecutor’s office in Reggio Calabria, led to 97 suspects. Three arrest warrants were executed on the day of the raid alone. According to the Italian news site Rai News, the suspects are suspected of having built up a complex drug network that smuggled cocaine from South America to Europe via the port of Gioia Tauro with the active assistance of corrupt port employees.

The network is accused of organizing the drug trade in a strictly hierarchical manner and monopolizing it across several clans. In addition to drug smuggling, the charges also include extortion, kidnapping, election rigging, and arms trafficking, according to a statement released by the Italian Interior Ministry on Tuesday. Two companies—a restaurant and a construction firm—were also seized during the investigation, as they were apparently used for money laundering. The searches took place in Milan, Rome, and Bologna, among other places.

Cocaine, cash, and corruption: Operation “Ura” uncovers network

At the same time, authorities in the southern Italian region of Apulia and in Albania also took action. Operation “Ura” – named after the Albanian word for “bridge” – targeted a transnational network that, according to a report by Albanian news channel A2 CNN, is responsible for large-scale cocaine and heroin trafficking, money laundering, and abuse of office. A total of 52 people were arrested, including suspects in Tirana and Durrës, as well as in Bari. The Albanian Special Prosecutor’s Office (SPAK) worked closely with Italian investigators.

The statement by Albanian prosecutor Vladimir Mara is explosive. He confirmed to A2 CNN that two police officers and a lawyer were allegedly part of the network. One of the officers is suspected of having worked directly for the group, while the other is said to have turned a blind eye in exchange for money. According to Mara, the lawyer in question exerted illegal influence on judicial officials and other public officials in at least four cases.

The network also apparently acted with particular audacity in its money laundering activities: according to the authorities, over 4.5 million euros in cash were transported from Italy to Albania by long-distance bus. According to the investigation files, the group deliberately used the bus route network between Bari and Tirana to transfer cash without leaving any traces at banks. According to the Italian police, some of the seized assets include real estate, a television station, and four luxury restaurants.

International cooperation is proving effective

Both operations are the result of months of investigation and highlight the close cooperation between Italian and Albanian law enforcement agencies. According to a spokesperson for the Direzione Investigativa Antimafia in Rome, this is “one of the largest coordinated blows against organized crime involving Albanian involvement in recent years.” The ‘Ndrangheta case in particular shows once again how legal economic structures—such as goods handling in the port of Gioia Tauro—can be infiltrated by mafia organizations.