Two migrant-smuggling cases uncovered in Korçë, two 21-year-olds arrested

Two operations carried out in the Korçë region have disrupted the criminal activity of assisting migrants from third countries to cross the border illegally in exchange for payment.

The operations, codenamed “Route 2” and “Qatromi,” were conducted by the Border Police and Illegal Trafficking Investigation units in Korçë, in coordination with other State Police structures and under the direction of the Prosecution Office.

Operation “Route 2”

As part of operation “Route 2,” officers from the Korçë Local Directorate for Border and Migration, in cooperation with Police Station No. 6 in Tirana, apprehended and detained M. Sh., 21, a resident of Tirana.

Police said the 21-year-old was spotted in the village of Tren, Devoll, driving a vehicle carrying five citizens from third countries.

The young man ignored police officers’ order to stop and continued driving toward the “Korçë-Pogradec” route. According to police, after reaching the village of Gurishtë, he abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot.

Following several hours of searching, M. Sh. was located and arrested in Tirana by officers from Police Station No. 6.

Operation “Qatromi”

The other operation, codenamed “Qatromi,” was concluded after a weeks-long investigation conducted using proactive methods by the Section for the Investigation of Illegal Trafficking at the Korçë Local Police Directorate.

During the operation, S. D., 21, a resident of the village of Libonik in Maliq, was arrested in flagrante delicto.

According to police, the investigation found that the young man provided foreign nationals with shelter in an abandoned building in the village of Qatrom. He then transported them by vehicle toward Tirana in exchange for payment.

When police intervened, S. D. failed to comply with the order to stop and attempted to flee the vehicle. Six migrants from third countries were found inside the vehicle, while the 21-year-old was apprehended just a few meters away.

For both cases, the procedural materials were referred to the Prosecution Office attached to the First Instance Court of General Jurisdiction in Korçë. The proceedings concern the criminal offenses of “Assistance in the illegal crossing of borders” and “Disobeying the order of a public order police officer.”