2 years ago
The Sinaloa cartel, commonly described as the largest and most powerful drug-trafficking organization in the Western Hemisphere, has already extended its ties in the Balkans to the European continent, report the media the foreigner, Telegrafi reports.

Intelligence reports from the federal government detailed that Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, who is perhaps the top leader of the Sinaloa cartel, recently formed alliances with the Albanian mafia, specifically the Luftar brothers, Arben, Fatos and Ramiz Hysa.

The joint plan of both criminal organizations, separated by more than 10,600 kilometers, is to launder millions of dollars profited from illegal business through real estate and investments in the coastal tourism sector of the Balkan peninsula.


The lack of controls by the Albanian authorities for money laundering would have been the main factor that attracted "Chapo" Guzman's friend to that Eastern European country.

The four brothers from Albania with whom "El Mayo" would have agreed to manage a network of casinos and businesses in Sonora, Baja California and Quintana Roo, through which they launder millions of euros from organized crime, El Universal's report detailed.

Mexican authorities revealed that the Sinaloa Cartel is currently in the middle of a significant financial deal with Albanian mobsters. It would be several million dollar transfers through front companies based in the European country.

Between 2018 and 2020, of those arrested for cocaine trafficking in Europe, 266 had Albanian citizenship, followed by Brazilians (257) and Colombians (168). The next European country to appear on the list was the Netherlands, in eighth place, with only 51 citizens detained.