A 43-year-old Albanian man was sentenced to life in prison by a federal court in Detroit, United States, for leading an international cocaine trafficking ring.
The court found him guilty based on evidence that showed he was the head of a criminal organization with a network in the United States, South America and Europe. This organization financed and coordinated the transportation of large quantities of cocaine from South America to European destinations.
The investigation revealed that in 2019 and 2020, US authorities seized more than 3,400 kilograms of cocaine, loaded onto five commercial ships heading to international ports. The total value of the seized quantity was estimated at over $100 million.
Among the organization’s most elaborate plans was the construction of an underwater unmanned vehicle, equipped with a GPS and modem. This vehicle was designed to attach to the bottom of a container ship. When the ship approached European shores, the submarine would be released and picked up by a fishing vessel belonging to the network.
The convicted man was arrested before he could implement the submarine plan and now faces a life sentence for international drug trafficking and money laundering.
