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How Albania became a transit point for clandestine trafficking groups
2026-01-28 23:22:23 / AKTUALITET
The illegal crossing of migrants from the Middle East and North Africa is a real business. The profits of those involved in the illegal crossing of these people reach millions of euros annually.
They have a well-organized network that involves them from the moment they leave until they arrive in Albania. The corruption and aid start from Albanian embassies in Eastern countries, to the one in Egypt, and then until the arrival of foreign workers in our country, waiting for them at the airport.
Immigrants disguised as workers do not stay in our country, but leave directly. Traffickers in this form also negatively affect businesses, certainly those that are regular, as there are entities that are directly involved in illegal trafficking. This is also because in Albania there is an informal market, or private individuals who deal with this work. So, not being a licensed agency, but finding different maneuvers to work with clear goals…
"To say that it is a regular market is difficult to say. There are construction companies that have insiders who only deal with these procedures to avoid sanctions. Even recruitment agencies are licensed, I can't say that it is regular. Individuals also offer it privately and informally and this leads to market distortion. This then leads to anomalies in the market and in prices and in the way it functions ," said lawyer Xhina Veizi.
Inside Story covered a similar topic a few years ago, in a different context, but nothing has changed since then… The investigation followed a storm within the Border and Migration Directorate of the Police. The phenomenon, uncovered a few years ago by Top Channel, led to the dismantling of several criminal groups of traffickers led by Arab citizens.
The biggest problem in illegal immigration is also related to the direct involvement of the border and immigration police structures themselves. Several police officers have been arrested for being part of groups that organized illegal immigration. In 2024, the head of the migration section of the Tirana Police, Edmond Braha, and another officer, Altin Hasani, were arrested.
The latter was part of the police investigation and in 2020 was involved in this business, but before long he managed to return to his position, until he was discovered again.
Despite sensational actions, as the months pass and media attention wanes, such processes largely fade away and do not receive the attention they deserve. This is the real problem.
There were several groups that were hit. The Egyptian line, which was led by Ahmed Kensowa. The Bangladesh and Cameroon line that was hit by SPAK, an activity that was led by citizens Endri Seiti together with Luan Tafala.
The case is currently in the trial process. The evidence obtained by BKH investigators and the Tirana police includes conversations between the parties, meetings, and even bags of money for the officials.
The latest to be arrested by the Police was Kreshnik Gaxha, a 31-year-old from Kukës, who was transporting Egyptians to European Union countries. He would wait for them in Rinas and then handle their illegal crossing of the border. Inside Story has closely followed this action, documented through these exclusive images of the arrest.
However, there are also businesses that are directly involved in the illegal immigration of workers. To hire a worker, it is now very simple...
"In Albania, it is easy to hire foreign workers, as the application is made online with e-visas. The business must definitely meet certain conditions in order to recruit employees, and one of the basic conditions is accommodation ," said lawyer Suada Pocesta.
In such conditions, certain businesses have been organic parts of groups with clear goals. Under the guise of the need to attract foreign workers, they have secured work visas and then used them to get money. Then, to remove them from Albania.
This criminal activity is organized by Luan Tafalla and Endri Saiti, who through their employment agency called "Intercontinental Link" shpk and in collaboration with the commercial companies Mega Shoes, Gerem Konfeksione, Konvservimi Adriatik have completed applications to provide unique employment permits and then visa D, for citizens from Bangladesh.
One of the people whose trials continue at the GJKKO to this day who fell into the SPAK net is the Italian Antonio Spekio. The latter had an activity as a shoe firm "Mags Shoes" which he used to deal with the illegal crossing of immigrants, according to SPAK's claims.
Spekio actually turns out to be a shareholder in 3 businesses with the same service, selling shoes. He was caught in conversations with people who were trafficking, and even with a police officer at Rinas airport who was not identified.
"From a social point of view, the treatment is correct and welcoming. The problem is institutional, as the state has not created any mechanism for the real protection of these immigrants who come from Asian and African areas. We see that the institutions are formal in terms of protecting these immigrants ," said lawyer Suada Pocesta./ Inside Story
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