2023-06-19 07:00:10
Vehicle checks at the Beynost toll booth, during a vast anti-traffic operation, June 1, 2023. JEAN-PHILIPPE KSIAZEK / AFP
Faced with the strong upsurge in Albanian crime, the Lyon justice system has dismantled a network of concealment and repatriation of stolen objects with astonishing mechanisms, thanks to the establishment of unprecedented judicial cooperation with the authorities of Tirana, and the creation of a joint investigation team, led by the Central Office for the Fight against Itinerant Delinquency (Ocldi).
In two cross-border operations, on September 17, 2022 and June 14, 2023, investigators managed to seize more than 21 kilos of jewelry, hundreds of watches and luxury accessories, around 260,000 euros in cash.
The origin of this case: the location of a hotel located in Villeurbanne (metropolis of Lyon), which served as a logistics base for criminals. In all, twelve suspects are indicted, including six imprisoned, in the French part of the case, instructed by the specialized inter-regional jurisdiction (JIRS) of Lyon. Twelve people are imprisoned in Albania, where fifteen sites were searched on June 14, including two jewelry stores.
Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers “Seasoned burglars” and ultramobile from abroad in the sights of the authorities
The case is part of the historical context of the dismemberment of the Balkans. Since the fall of the Soviet Empire, the Albanian diaspora has taken refuge in Switzerland and in the neighboring French departments. The Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region has 44,000 Albanian nationals, i.e. nearly 30% of the diaspora in France, particularly in the areas close to the border with Switzerland, in Savoie and in the country of Gex (Ain). Criminal networks have taken advantage of population movements to establish themselves in these territories with strong economic activity, against a backdrop of illegal immigration. Albanians are the third largest population without a residence permit in France.
heroin trafficking
Auralpine justice has observed a rise in power for several years, with an 800% increase in the incarcerations of Albanian nationals involved in criminal investigations between 2011 and 2019, according to data from the JIRS of Lyon. More than three hundred procedures involving suspects of Albanian origin were counted in 2022 in the judicial jurisdictions of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, which includes half of the Albanians imprisoned in France.
The courts of the Lyon region have seen an influx into their hearings of immediate appearances of heroin dealers acting by geographical raids. Powered by an anonymous supplier, the solitary dealer is responsible for providing a local micro-network, with a cache located near his deal point, by building customer loyalty. Two-thirds of the proceedings incriminating Albanians relate to drug trafficking. Gradually, other criminal activities developed.
You have 57.25% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.
#Lyon #unprecedented #investigation #cooperation #Albanian #criminal #network