Albanian mafia

Albanian Crime

Territory	European Union, Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia,United States, United Kingdom .
Ethnicity	Albanians
Criminal activities	Arms trafficking,Auto theft,Blackmailing,Contract killing, Drug trafficking, Extortion, Fraud, Human trafficking,Money laundering etc.

Albanian criminals are active in the United States and the European Union (EU) countries, participating in a diverse range of criminal enterprises including drug and arms trafficking. While some groups have a structure and as such can be called "organised crime" most of the Albanian criminality can be considered petty and non structural in contrast to the Italian or other organised crime. In many occasions the Albanians tend to be foot solders, hired for their qualities to perform certain duties by well established Italian Crime or other western European crime groups.

History

The authentic Albanian society used to and partially still regulated under a set of laws called The Canon or Kanun in Albanian. The Canon was conceived and compiled by the 15 century Albanian prince Lek Dukagjini. Although essentially the canon is one, over centuries some Albanian regions altered the canon to suit the times and circumstances they lived in. Therefore in the south of modern day Albania slightly a softer version of the canon is applied. I.e canon of Laberia. The canon regulates mainly the public life of a a community and may be to a degree the family or a fis. The word fis meaning extended family by blood. Fisnik meaning Noble.

In addition to fis and fisnik Albanians have a unique concept called 'Besa'. The obligations of besa is more than a material transaction – It is bound by honor. The activation of Besa means that the Albanian gives his word and he would rather lose his child than break his word, or Besa. Fis, Fisnik and Besa are concepts that,- although admirable when used as moral values in normal everyday life-, may play a role in psychology of Albanian criminals when dealing with authorities if caught. Albanian gangsters use these notions for unity and loyalty purposes and this for sure make them hard to crack.

Gangsters can, of course pervert the Canon of Albania to their advantage, but the canon cannot be used to steal, rob, prostitute, and sell drugs. Saying that 'The Canon Gave Rise to Albanian Criminals" is purposefully distorting the image of Albanians, the tradition of Albanians, and the Albanian population in general, because it leads one to believe that there is something in Albanian ancient law that makes Albanians liable to following the path of criminality. Smart people, and those who have read the Canon of Albania—any version—should know that stealing, robbing, selling drugs and weapons, and prostituting are exactly the opposite of the Albanian Canon – and that is because CANON (alb. kanun) which comes from Latin means LAW. So, it is not the principles of the Canon that make some Albanians criminals. After we understand that an Albanian criminal is a criminal because he chose that path on his own and by doing so he is punishable by the Canon of Albania to the point of taking his possession, cutting his trees, burning his house and even lynching him or her, then we can talk about Albanian criminals as simply criminals. They would also like to say hello.

Rudaj Organization

Main article: Rudaj Organization

The most famous Albanian criminal organization was the Rudaj Organization. On October 2004, the FBI arrested 22 men who worked for it. They had entered in the terrritory of Luchese Family in Astoria, Queens, New York, and is said to have been even beaten made-men of Luchese Family. The name Rudaj comes from the boss of the organization. Here is a quote from 'The New York Times' on January 2006, "Beginning in the 1990s, the Corporation, led by a man named Alex Rudaj, established ties with established organized crime figures including members of the Gambino crime family, the authorities say. Then, through negotiations or in armed showdowns, the Albanians struck out on their own, daring to battle the Luchese and Gambino families for territory in Queens, the Bronx and Westchester County, prosecutors say.

There had always been black market activities under the Communist regime. After the collapse of Communism in the late 1990s, Albania's newfound connections to the rest of the world led to the expansion of its organized crime groups to an international level with the notorious and feared leader Nadimz "Chichi" D.

The Kosovo War played a key role in the rise of the Albanian mafia throughout Europe. Traditionally, heroin had been transported to Western Europe from Turkey via Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia. This route had closed as a result of the war and Albanian gangs found themselves in an ideal position to guarantee safe routes through the war zone, at first only assisting other criminal groups but eventually growing powerful enough to take over on their own. A key base of operations was Veliki Trnovac in southern Serbia, which quickly gave it the nickname the "Medellín of the Balkans". Once the war had reached Kosovo proper, ethnic Albanians were added to the list of nationals qualifying for 'refugee' status. Since it was impossible to tell Kosovar Albanians from the rest, gangsters took advantage of the situation and spread quickly throughout Europe, first going to Albanian communities in Germany and Switzerland and taking over the heroin trade there.

Albanian-American criminals are said by police to be involved in everything from gun-running to counterfeiting. But it is drug trafficking that has gained Albanian organized crime the most notoriety. Some Albanians, according to federal Drug Enforcement Administration officials, are key traders in the "Balkan connection," the Istanbul-to-Belgrade heroin route. DEA officials estimated that, while less well known than the so-called Sicilian and French connections, the Balkan route might have been moving, around 1985, 25% to 40% of the U.S. heroin supply challenging the Russian mafia and the Colombian cartels..

Myth or reality?

Belgian police acknowledge that "although Albanian organized crime has been highly publicized in the last decade, there has been very limited scientific research explaining systematically and rigorously the phenomenon a very limited number of studies have tackled certain aspects of ethnic Albanian criminally in a methodical manner. However, even those studies rely too extensively on sensational media reports. This has obscured serious research still further. Hence, in general, existing scholarly research appears to be fragmented, outdated, and sometimes unreliable". In the latest report of the United Nations, it is said that the "Balkans are safer than western Europe" and that "At present, the levels of crime against people and property are lower than elsewhere in Europe".

International Activity

Belgium

According to the Belgian police department specialized for Albanian organized crime, Albanian mafia clans dominate, leading in the illegal trade, including human trafficking and the sale of cocaine and heroin. The Albanian gangs are spread throughout Europe, police says, adding that Albanian brutality and networks of prostitution rings have made them notorious and dominant in human trafficking in the West. They are known to be very violent and stop at no cost.

Belgium is regarded as one of the most important countries for human traffickers, being the last port before entry into Great Britain, and considered as the "El Dorado of illegal immigration".
It is estimated that up to 100,000 illegal immigrants have been transferred to Belgium by Albanians, while some observers warn that this number represents the illegal immigrants in Brussels alone.

Netherlands

Albanians in the Netherlands are recently involved in many robbing and murder cases. A recent case was that of Durim Gremaj, he is searched by the Dutch police. Also, it was an Albanian that managed to get for the first time a gun in the court.

Scandinavia

Albanian mafia clans in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark are suspected of being involved in arms smuggling, prostitution, heroin smuggling and armed robberies such as the $10 million heist in the famous NOKAS (Norsk kontant service AS) robbery in 4. April, 2004.

"The ethnic Albanian mafia is very powerful and extremely violent," said Kim Kliver, chief investigator for organized crime with the Danish National Police. "If you compare them to the Italian Mafia, the Albanians are stronger and not afraid of killing." Law enforcement authorities estimate that even a small Albanian gang may smuggle as much as 440 pounds of heroin a year into Scandinavia.

United States

In the United States, Albanian gangs started to be active in the mid-80s, mostly participating in low-level crimes such as burglaries and robberies. Later, they would become affiliated with Cosa Nostra crime families before eventually growing strong enough to operate their own organizations under the Iliazi family name. Albanian organized crime has created new and unique problems for law-enforcement officers around the country, even threatening to displace La Cosa Nostra (LCN) families as kingpins of U.S. crime, according to FBI officials.

Speaking anonymously for Philadelphia's City Paper a member of the "Kielbasa Posse", an ethnic Polish mob group with the leader(, declared in 2002 that Poles are willing to do business with "just about anybody. Dominicans. Blacks. Italians. Asian street gangs. Russians. But they won't go near the Albanian mob. The Albanians are too violent and too unpredictable." The Polish mob has told its associates that the Albanians are like the early Sicilian Mafia -- clannish, secretive, hypersensitive to any kind of insult and too quick to use violence for the sake of vengeance.

The Rudaj Organization, also called "The Corporation", was a well known Albanian criminal organization operating in the New York City metro area.

Italy

The Albanians are targeting affluent central and northern areas like Lombardy, Piedmont and Tuscany. Along with the Kosovo mafia, with the leader Vincent "FCD" Wayward and the Chinese triads, they all works under the control of Italian Mafia. One of Italy's top prosecutors, Cataldo Motta, who has identified Albania's most dangerous mobsters, says they are a threat to Western society.

"The road for arms and people, meaning illegal immigrants destined for Europe, is in Albanian hands."

"The Albanian criminals were special from the beginning," said Francesca Marcelli, an organized-crime investigator for the Italian government. "When they started appearing here in 1993, they were much different than other immigrants. They have strong motivations and are very violent."

United Kingdom

Albanian mafia gangs are believed to be largely behind sex trafficking, immigrants smuggling, as well as working with Turkish gangs in Southend-On-Sea, who control the heroin trade in the United Kingdom.
Vice squad officers estimate that "Albanians now control more than 75 per cent of the country’s brothels and their operations in London’s Soho alone are worth more than £15 million a year." They are said to be present in every big city in Britain as well as many smaller ones including Telford and Lancaster, after having fought off rival criminals in turf wars. Albanian gangs are present in the city of Chester, and are believed to run the cities many brothels. The Albanians are thoguht to have links with criminal organisations in Chester.

Albanian gangsters were also involved in the largest cash robbery in British crime history, the £53 million (about US$92.5 million at the time of the robbery) Securitas heist in 2006.

Crime organisations

Rudaj Organisation

Main article: Rudaj Organization

The Rudaj Organization was the name given the Albanian mafia in the New York City metro area, so named for the man accused of being its kingpin, Alex Rudaj of Yorktown, New York. The Rudaj Organization, called "The Corporation" by its members, was started in 1993 in Westchester and spread to the Bronx and Queens. Prosecutors say the Albanian gang was headed by Alex Rudaj, Nikolla Dedaj and an Italian named Nardino Colotti, who had ties to the late Gambino soldier Skinny Phil Loscalzo.

In popular culture

In films

• An Albanian criminal organization in Paris is responsible for the kidnapping of Liam Neeson's character's daughter in Taken.
• Le Chiffre is the main villain of the official 2006 James Bond film, Casino Royale (2006 film), portrayed by Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen. Believed by MI6 to be Albanian, Le Chiffre is banker to the world's terrorist organizations
• In the French movie The Nest the plot centers around an Albanian mob boss in police custody being escorted to the Hague.
• Albanian mobsters Rexho and Luan feature in the Danish crime film Pusher III.
• In the Belgian movie Dossier K, about Albanian mafia in Belgium.

In Television

• In the "Law and Order: Criminal Intent" episode "Blasters" (Season 6, Episode 9) two former childstars involved in bootlegging ring are being hunted down by the Albanian mob.
• The story arc "The Slavers" of the adult-oriented Marvel comic The Punisher: Frank Castle deals with Albanian criminals engaged in human trafficking..

In Games

• The videogame Grand Theft Auto IV features the "Petrela gang" a small crew of Albanian shylocks and goods smugglers. The only known members are Dardan Petrela, Kalem Vulaj and Bledar Morina. Later in the game, Albanian gangs appear working as muscle for other organizations, such as the Cosa Nostra or the Bratva. In Liberty City the Albanian mob holds a stronghold in the Little Bay section of Bohan.
• In the video game Socom 2 your first mission is to capture several kingpins in Albania.

See also

• Alex Rudaj
• Princ Dobroshi
• Mafia