The Swiss authorities cooperated with the State Police for the investigation which revealed that the group transferred millions of euros from Switzerland to Albania, without bank tracking, using associates in both countries and covering the activity through currency exchange offices and tourist agencies.

“This informal money transfer system, known as “Hawala”, has enabled the persons under investigation and other persons involved in criminal activities to quickly transfer monetary sums from Switzerland to Albania, for a period of several years, at least since 2020 onwards”, SPAK stated today in a press release.

According to SPAK, the leader of the group is citizen E.F, while associates B.F and P.K helped distribute the amounts in Albanian territory. The group benefited some 6% of each transaction and was also involved in the distribution of drugs in several cantons of Switzerland.

“Persons interested in transferring money (money senders) handed over the money that had criminal origins to associates of the criminal group residing in Switzerland, informing them of the name of the person who was the recipient of the amounts of money in Tirana,” SPAK’s press release reads further on.

The Special Court has imposed the security measure “prison arrest” on the three suspects. Two of them, B.F and P.K., have been detained in Albania, while E.F. is being arrested in Switzerland. /r.e/p.s./