„Salary“ of up to 6000 euros for street dealers
Genoa - The carabinieri have struck a major blow against organized drug trafficking in Genoa. On the night of June 3, investigators broke up an Albanian-Italian drug ring and executed coercive measures against twelve suspects. Eleven people are now in custody, another is under house arrest. The presumption of innocence applies to all of them.
The investigation had been running since April 2025 under the code name „Speranza“ (hope). The investigators chose the name because the gang referred to cocaine blocks in wiretapped conversations in code as „spirancë“, the Albanian word for hope.
A profitable and well-structured business
The group was tightly organized. Two Albanian leaders bought cocaine, hashish and marijuana in northern Italy and distributed the tasks. Other members were responsible for storing and packaging the doses, while a network of dealers took over street sales in Genoa. Investigators documented around 10,000 drug handovers. The drugs were cleverly hidden in homes - for example in the fridge, between sofa cushions or under kitchen tables.
The business was extremely lucrative. A kilogram of cocaine was bought for 22,000 euros and sold on the street for around 80,000 euros within around 20 days. The two leaders are said to have earned around 30,000 euros a month. Even the dealers received a regular „salary“ of between 3,000 and 6,000 euros.
The gang proved to be extremely resilient. In the course of the investigation, 14 people were caught red-handed and 32 kilos of drugs were confiscated. But the organization carried on, recruited new members and even paid the legal fees for arrested accomplices. During the final searches, the Carabinieri again seized cocaine, hashish, over 15,000 euros in cash as well as scales and packaging material.
