This is an ethnically based transnational organized criminal group (ethnic Albanians from Kosovo). The individuals suspected of being the leaders of the Pisa-based organised crime cell were also running the various stages of the drug trafficking operations. An Albanian living in the Netherlands known by the nickname of Amor was the supplier of cocaine to the Pisa area and was also directing a network of individuals living around Rome. They were the target of an investigation which led on 6 November 2007 to the seizure of 0.446 kilos of cocaine and the arrest of an Italian citizen. The drugs were hidden in the speakers of the stereo system of the Italian’s private car.

The arrest of some members of the Pisa-based cell and the seizure of that cocaine consignment caused a number of upheavals inside the organization. In order to restart the trafficking operations, the remaining drug traffickers associated with a fellow Kosovo Albanian who relocated from Lombardia to Tuscany to facilitate the cocaine trade and settled down in Asciano Pisano (in the province of Pisa) in a flat at Via del Fondo No. 21.

The monitoring of his telephone conversations led to his cocaine supplier in Veneto who, in turn, was obtaining cocaine from the above-mentioned organization previously detected in the Netherlands.

Further investigations revealed that a large criminal organization predominantly made up of ethnic Albanians was involved in international drug trafficking, mainly in cocaine, and had cells also in Italy: in Tuscany, Lazio, Veneto, Lombardia, Piemonte, Puglia and Emilia-Romagna.

The members of this organization, who reside in different European countries, have their operational headquarters in Belgium and have connections with Norway, France, Germany, Sweden, Great Britain and Lithuania. Through this intricate network they obtain cocaine in the Netherlands and supply it to the Italian and European illegal markets.

Despite the constantly changing global situation we were able to highlight the transnational dimension, the high level of specialization and the reliability gained over time on the global illegal market by this cross-border criminal organization which is ethnically based, armed, constantly expanding, flexible and highly adaptable.

The criminal organization under scrutiny has a so-called “cell-based” structure and the presence of a ruling commission (cupola) to run the criminal activities ensures perfect efficiency.

Cells are organised according to logical and functional criteria so that they are independent in handling and controlling drug trafficking activities in a given area, but maintain a sort of mutual interdependence while co-evolving. Membership of the same ethnic group, family or clan ties play a key aggregation role. They are very cohesive and bound by strict internal rules, generally in constant expansion and in search of new territories to control and illegal markets to encroach and they enter into agreements with criminal organisations in the country where they intend to settle in order to expand their criminal activity. They increase their economic potential by choosing among their affiliates the person that is best suited to run the business. The selection is based on managerial logic and assessment of the subject’s personal skills (for example, number of spoken languages). If one of their members is arrested, the crime group offers financial support to his family in exchange for their silence, thus ensuring their full complicity.

The criminal organisation has parcelled up the territory and, consequently, this study has been divided into inferences regarding the areas controlled in Italy and those regarding the other countries involved, with particular attention being paid to operational cells based in Italy and Belgium which act as the executive core of the criminal network and are run by the bosses of the organisation.

Each inference should be accompanied by information sheets about the persons involved, so as to outline the expansion potential of the criminal network in Italy and in Europe, its dynamism and operational efficiency and its connections in Italy and Europe and to reconstruct in broad terms the relationships and connections among members of the criminal group, their roles and operational methods.

The transnational crime network operating in Italy is composed of ethnic Albanians and poses a serious threat for the future. Its structure draws on the typical features of Italian mafia-type organisations:
- the organisational model is based on cells and on functional distribution of tasks which
ensures maximum adaptability, effectiveness and efficiency;
- cells are impenetrable because its members are related by close family ties which play an important aggregation role;
- each cell can rely on effective logistical organisation because:
• it runs its own network of couriers;
• it runs carefully selected places to accommodate couriers;
• it runs a network of collectors of criminal proceeds;
• it has safe storage locations where to parcel cocaine and prepare vehicles to be used
by traffickers;
• it has dummy names to register the cars used by traffickers and it has telephones
and SIM cards with consecutive numbers;
- subdivision of the territory is guaranteed through agreements and co-evolution with local criminal groups;
- drug consignments are broken down into small quantities before being distributed. This
increases selling time but reduces the risk of law enforcement detection and makes it
easier to move cocaine around the territory;
- the same type of packaging is used (the outer wrapping of cocaine packages seized during the same investigation had the letters “T.V.T.T.” written on it).
A number of Albanians at the top of the chain of command of the criminal organisation
coordinate the distribution of cocaine in Tuscany and the activities of the Albanian cells operating in the Italian provinces of Milan, Turin, Reggio Emilia and Rome.
H.G., born in Albania in 1972, is one of the bosses of the Albanian organisation whose
operational headquarters are in Belgium. He obtains cocaine from Dutch suppliers, in particular from an unknown person of African origins who uses a Dutch telephone and is believed to be the main supplier of cocaine.
A.M, born in Albania in 1971 and residing in the province of Bari, acts as cocaine supplier for Albanian cells active in Italy and the boss of the criminal organisation located in Italy.
There is a direct link between H.G. and A.M.: in 2007 they were checked by the Police in the Netherlands and before his disappearance, A.M. was supplying cocaine which arrived in Belgium from the Netherlands and which was then distributed to the cells operating in Italy and the UK.
A.M. was directly in contact and meeting personally with the Dutch suppliers. Intercepted phone conversations revealed that the criminal syndicate used to meet in Amsterdam and cargo ships from South America were expected to arrive at the port of Rotterdam with 100 kilos of cocaine on board, part of which was to be handed to A.M..
Investigations carried out so far have shown that a well-developed and organised criminal network operating in certain European countries including Italy, the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Great Britain, Germany and Norway is importing cocaine from South America (Peru and Bolivia).

BELGIUM
This is the operational headquarters for the importation and distribution of cocaine across Europe.
The cocaine arrives in the Netherlands at the port of Rotterdam (a consignment of 100 kilos was hidden on cargo ships coming from Peru and Bolivia) and is then transported to Belgium. From Belgium it is smuggled into other European countries by couriers travelling on specially modified vehicles. Belgium is also the logistical base where meetings take place between members of the organisation and prospective buyers because here affiliates can rely on the support of owners of public premises, such as the Pizzeria “Avanti”, and hotels where couriers are lodged while waiting to take delivery of modified cars.

THE NETHERLANDS
Suppliers are based in the Netherlands. This has emerged from intercepted telephone
conversations and police surveillance activities. The Albanian cell based in Belgium met with several suppliers in the Netherlands. So far it has not been possible to fully identify the individuals involved.
Flow of cocaine and money In the Netherlands and Belgium criminal organisations composed of ethnic Albanians store, parcel and smuggle cocaine into Italy, Germany, the UK and Norway.
Couriers travel from Italy, Norway or Lithuania to Belgium where they obtain false travel
documents and vehicles specially adapted to transport cocaine. From Belgium they drive to their destinations in these cars specially modified to conceal drugs. In Belgium the organisation furnishes accommodation to its couriers, who are waiting to take delivery of vehicles adapted for concealment purposes, in selected hotels along the transport route and provides them with travel directions and instructions for their meetings with the buyers.
The leader of the criminal organisation follows the consignment over the phone to make sure that the drugs get to their destination, that contact with the buyer is established and payment effected – in some cases the cocaine is paid for upon delivery.