ROME

Authorities in Albania and Italy have dismantled a drug trafficking network that is suspected of having smuggled into Europe at least 2 tons of cocaine from South America, Europol said Wednesday.

The operation led to the arrest of 29 people, almost entirely in Italy. The suspects are allegedly responsible for having hidden in containers with exotic fruits on vessels arriving in European ports from South America at least 2 tons of cocaine, 20 kilograms (44 pounds) of marijuana, and 46 kilograms of hashish since November 2021.

The drugs were seized in different operations, said Europol.

Those arrested, led by two Albanian brothers, are also accused of distributing the drugs across Europe.

“When the drugs arrived in Europe, “recovery teams would remove the drugs from the containers and sell them to other criminal networks,” Europol added.

Law enforcement officers raided locations in Albania, Italy, France, Spain, and Romania on Tuesday, seizing various criminal assets.

Investigations into the Albanian criminal network began in 2021 on the initiative of the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Florence in Italy, said authorities.

That same year, a joint investigation team was set up between Italian and Albanian authorities.

The investigation was supported by intercepted communications between criminal organizations, which used the encrypted SkyECC mobile communication tool, European authorities added.​​​​​​​