{
    "title": "Albanian mafia gaining influence in Belgium",
    "modified_at": "2026-06-03 06:38:23",
    "published_at": "2026-06-03 06:38:00",
    "url": "https://www.belganewsagency.eu/albanian-mafia-gaining-influence-in-belgium",
    "short_url": "http://prez.ly/CTHd",
    "culture": "en_BE",
    "language": "EN",
    "slug": "albanian-mafia-gaining-influence-in-belgium",
    "body": "<p style=\"text-align: left\"><strong>The Albanian mafia is becoming increasingly influential in Belgium, according to an investigation by Knack conducted in collaboration with Le Soir and RTBF. The investigation examined the involvement of Albanian suspects in Belgian judicial cases between 2020 and 2026.</strong></p><p style=\"text-align: left\">More than 2,000 Albanian suspects appear in ongoing investigations by the Federal Judicial Police. According to Fran&ccedil;ois Farcy, Judicial Director of Li&egrave;ge, the phenomenon has evolved significantly over the past 25 years. Whereas Albanian groups were previously linked mainly to burglaries and small-scale cocaine trafficking, they are now involved in large-scale drug trafficking and money laundering.</p><p style=\"text-align: left\">Fr&eacute;d&eacute;ric Van Leeuw, President of the College of Prosecutors General, said Albanian criminal organisations have specialised in logistical services. They play a key role in the transport of drugs and cash, the establishment of drug laboratories and the procurement of chemicals. According to investigators, these networks operate in an increasingly structured manner and can be compared with organisations such as the &#039;Ndrangheta or Mexican cartels.</p><p style=\"text-align: left\">Authorities say profits from criminal activities are often channelled back to Albania and invested in sectors such as construction, real estate and tourism. The Federal Police also report signs of infiltration into the legal economy in Belgium.</p><p style=\"text-align: left\">Police generally refer to &quot;Albanophone criminal organisations&quot;, as these networks often include suspects from Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and other countries in the region. According to investigators, these groups are frequently organised around family ties and longstanding relationships of trust.</p><p><sup>&copy; BELGA PHOTO JONAS ROOSENS</sup></p><hr /><p><strong>Related news</strong></p><div id=\"bookmark-c521f4d5-4831-43bf-b7b5-ff63ffe312a4\"\n     class=\"release-content-bookmark release-content-bookmark--horizontal\">\n\n            <a class=\"release-content-bookmark__thumbnail\"\n           href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/drug-trafficker-ermir-cinco-ndreaj-arrested-in-albania\"\n           rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n           target=\"_blank\"           style=\"background-image: url(https://prezly.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.uc.assets.prezly.com%2F665c2aef-297a-4ada-b26c-26d4a0f6c56d%2F-%2Fpreview%2F600x600%2F?ar=1%3A1&amp;fit=crop&amp;s=57b162f881423150dd771ed29426cbd2)\"\n        ></a>\n    \n    <div class=\"release-content-bookmark__details\">\n\n                    <a class=\"release-content-bookmark__title\"\n               href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/drug-trafficker-ermir-cinco-ndreaj-arrested-in-albania\"\n               rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n               target=\"_blank\"               data-type=\"bookmark\"\n               data-track=\"Story WebBookmark Click\"\n               data-placement=\"content\"\n               data-id=\"c521f4d5-4831-43bf-b7b5-ff63ffe312a4\"\n           >\n                Drug trafficker Ermir &#039;Cinco&#039; Ndreaj arrested in Albania            </a>\n        \n                    <div class=\"release-content-bookmark__description\">\n                The 44-year-old drug criminal Ermir Ndreaj was arrested in Tirana as part of an investigation by Albanian authorities into international drug...            </div>\n        \n        <a href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/\"\n           target=\"_blank\"\n           rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"\n           class=\"release-content-bookmark__provider\"\n        >\n            <img class=\"release-content-bookmark__provider-icon\" src=\"https://avatars.prezly.com/favicon?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.belganewsagency.eu%2Fdrug-trafficker-ermir-cinco-ndreaj-arrested-in-albania&newsroom=6b71e247-a9ba-4732-aaa3-88be14c119db\" aria-hidden=\"true\" />\n            belganewsagency.eu        </a>\n    </div>\n</div>\n<div id=\"bookmark-423a6d60-cb65-497a-ae28-45b0ef21c918\"\n     class=\"release-content-bookmark release-content-bookmark--horizontal\">\n\n            <a class=\"release-content-bookmark__thumbnail\"\n           href=\"http://belganewsagency.eu/already-more-than-1200-people-convicted-in-sky-ecc-cases\"\n           rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n           target=\"_blank\"           style=\"background-image: url(https://prezly.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.uc.assets.prezly.com%2F0565a6e3-4335-45c5-b7b5-22010fe52c44%2F-%2Fpreview%2F600x600%2F?ar=1%3A1&amp;fit=crop&amp;s=f99de5a7819d2265cecd6413777694bf)\"\n        ></a>\n    \n    <div class=\"release-content-bookmark__details\">\n\n                    <a class=\"release-content-bookmark__title\"\n               href=\"http://belganewsagency.eu/already-more-than-1200-people-convicted-in-sky-ecc-cases\"\n               rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\n               target=\"_blank\"               data-type=\"bookmark\"\n               data-track=\"Story WebBookmark Click\"\n               data-placement=\"content\"\n               data-id=\"423a6d60-cb65-497a-ae28-45b0ef21c918\"\n           >\n                Already more than 1,200 people convicted in Sky ECC cases            </a>\n        \n                    <div class=\"release-content-bookmark__description\">\n                In total, more than 1,200 people have already been convicted for cases that were initiated after the hack of the encrypted messaging service Sky...            </div>\n        \n        <a href=\"https://www.belganewsagency.eu/\"\n           target=\"_blank\"\n           rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"\n           class=\"release-content-bookmark__provider\"\n        >\n            <img class=\"release-content-bookmark__provider-icon\" src=\"https://avatars.prezly.com/favicon?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.belganewsagency.eu%2Falready-more-than-1200-people-convicted-in-sky-ecc-cases&newsroom=6b71e247-a9ba-4732-aaa3-88be14c119db\" aria-hidden=\"true\" />\n            belganewsagency.eu        </a>\n    </div>\n</div>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>",
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        {
            "description": "Drug trafficker Ermir 'Cinco' Ndreaj arrested in Albania",
            "url": "https://www.belganewsagency.eu/drug-trafficker-ermir-cinco-ndreaj-arrested-in-albania"
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            "description": "Already more than 1,200 people convicted in Sky ECC cases",
            "url": "http://belganewsagency.eu/already-more-than-1200-people-convicted-in-sky-ecc-cases"
        }
    ],
    "author": {
        "first_name": "Flanders",
        "last_name": "News Service"
    },
    "format_version": 5
}