On May 14th, Italian authorities announced the dismantling of an Italo-Albanian criminal organization specializing in international drug trafficking and the arrest of individuals who were testing a suspected semi-submersible drone intended for drug transport.
The arrests, ordered by the Turin court, were carried out in Italy in the provinces of Turin and Frosinone as well as in Albania. The investigation led to the seizure of over 204 kg of narcotics (cocaine and cannabis) and the dismantling of an Italo-Albanian criminal organization specializing in international drug trafficking.
The traffickers are suspected of supplying Italy with large quantities of narcotics over the past few years. According to the investigation, the cocaine likely arrived in Italy from South America via the Netherlands, while the cannabis transited through Spain and France using vehicles equipped with hidden compartments.
The discovery of the semi-submersible drone is highly exceptional in Europe and demonstrates the ability of criminal organizations to be inventive and exploit new technologies to their advantage. In July 2022, Spanish authorities discovered several underwater drones used to transport drugs between Morocco and Spain. Each of the remotely controlled devices could carry approximately 200 kg of narcotics.
