Italian anti‑mafia ‘Whisper’ raid dismantles Italy‑Albania drug network, 23 detained

The Directorate Investigative Anti‑Mafia (Dia) carried out a coordinated operation, dubbed “Whisper”, targeting two criminal organisations that trafficked cocaine, heroin, marijuana and hashish between Italy and Albania. Arrests were executed in the provinces of Lecce, Brindisi, Bari, Rome, Vibo Valentia and Matera, resulting in 23 suspects placed in custody (21 in prison, 2 under house arrest).

Authorities seized roughly 58 kg of narcotics – including 3 kg of cocaine, 30 kg of heroin and the balance in marijuana/hashish – along with two pistols, ammunition, two drug‑cutting laboratories and equipment for weighing and packaging. The investigation, stemming from the earlier “URA” probe, also uncovered the use of minors, women and Albanian couriers on international bus routes, as well as the involvement of Calabrian criminal structures.

The operation demonstrated extensive cross‑border coordination between Italian anti‑mafia units and Albanian judicial authorities, disrupting a major supply chain that fed drug markets in southern Italy.