Heavily-armed gangs throw out Italian
families to seize control of the criminal
underworld in Milan
Nick Hopkins, Crime Correspondent
Tuesday September 7, 1999
The Guardian
newsunlimited.co.uk
The Albanian mafia is targeting Britain in an effort to expand
its European-wide illegal immigration, drug trafficking and arms
dealing operations, security experts warned yesterday.
According to the national criminal intelligence service, heavily
armed Albanian gangs have established footholds in Germany,
Switzerland, Greece and Italy and in recent months there have
been signs of "organised criminal activity" in Britain.
NCIS investigators said the power of the groups, which recently
took control of the criminal underworld in Milan after a two-year
power struggle, must not be underestimated.
"They threw out the Italian mafia families," said an NCIS source.
"That is how violent they are." Ian Morrison, head of NCIS's
south-east region, said many Albanians seeking asylum in Britain
were criminals posing as refugees.
"There is evidence from customs and excise that this is
happening. It stands to reason that some criminal groups will
start to become established here. The same thing has happened in
mainland Europe. The experience on the continent is that they are
very aggressive. They present a serious and growing threat."
The Albanian mafia is regarded as the fastest growing in Europe.
It is thought to control many of the people-smuggling routes from
east to west and has muscled in on the heroin trafficking trade
run by Turkish mafias.
Like traditional Sicilian mafias, the Albanian organisations are
built around families. Every mafia member observes the Besa - a
strict oath of trust and loyalty.
Albanian gangs have been particularly active in Italy.
Earlier this year, Pier Luigi Vigna, Italy's senior mafia
prosecutor, chaired a summit in Bari to discuss how to tackle a
crime wave that included the reported smuggling of 10 containers
of radioactive material for sale on the black market.
In November last year, police at Brindisi boarded a boat from
Albania and seized four kilograms of liquid mercury which was
being shipped to western Europe, probably for illegal weapons
manufacture.
Albanian gangs are also thought to have taken control of
prostitution, gambling and drug dealing along Italy's Adriatic
coast.
The potential threat posed by the groups to Britain emerged
yesterday when NCIS published its annual report.
John Abbott, the director general, said the trafficking of
illegal immigrants into Britain was currently controlled by 50
gangs, who charged up to £10,000 for each person.
Nearly all of the gangs were run by Britons.
He said many immigrants found themselves press-ganged into
prostitution, forced labour or criminal activity, to pay for
their travel.
"The last five years has seen a tremendous growth in illegal
immigration, we see no reason to predict that it is going to
decrease," Mr Abbott said.
"The number of gangs in volved in this kind of activity has
increased enormously in the last two years."
A criminal intelligence service assessment of the level of
organised crime in Britain has been compiled in a confidential
report for police chiefs and the home office.
Mr Abbott refused to reveal details of the study, but said: "The
threat is increasing and we need a robust response."
He added: "Serious and organised crime is becoming more
international, faster moving and more sophisticated, and its
effects are increasingly felt in every local community throughout
the UK."
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 1999
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