Albania's anti-corruption prosecutors (SPAK) have asked courts to issue arrest orders for 20 people in a probe into international cocaine trafficking and suspected money-laundering; four suspects were detained by Saturday. Courts have ordered preventive seizures of assets exceeding €128.4 million. Local records and reporting tie some seized contracts to Albania Land Development and large land purchases in Zvernec — a site linked in media reports to a tourism project mentioned by Ivanka Trump — and thousands have been protesting the planned resort in Tirana.
Albania Requests 20 Arrests in Major Drug-and-Money-Laundering Probe; Possible Links to Trump-Linked Resort Spark Mass Protests
Albanians staged fresh protests in Tirana against the resort project (Adnan Beci)(Adnan Beci/AFP/AFP)
Albanian prosecutors said Saturday they had asked courts to order the arrest of 20 people in a probe into international cocaine trafficking and alleged money-laundering. Local media have reported that some suspects could be linked to a controversial luxury resort project that has been associated in reports with Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner.
SPAK, the special prosecutor's office for corruption and organized crime, said its investigation uncovered "operations suspected of serving to conceal the origin of assets and integrate illegal proceeds into the formal economy." The office said it had requested arrest orders for 20 individuals but that only four had been detained by Saturday. SPAK's statement did not explicitly mention the Zvernec resort project.
Asset Seizures and Scope
Court orders have also targeted assets linked to the probe. Prosecutors said the preventive seizure covers contracts and related assets with a total value exceeding €128.4 million (about $148.5 million).
The statement identified people only by initials — A.Sh., F.S. and B.S. — and referenced a company described as "A...L...D... Sh.a." Prosecutors and public records indicate that entity may be Albania Land Development (ALD), which has purchased large plots in the Zvernec area.
On a recent podcast, Ivanka Trump described portions of Zvernec: "We have five miles (eight kilometres) of beachfront directly across from the (Sazan) island, this beautiful peninsula with a lagoon on one side, the ocean on the other, beautiful white sand beaches."
Public documents reviewed by AFP show ALD purchased extensive plots in Zvernec that appear to match land linked in reporting to the tourism project. Local investigations and reporting, including by Reporter.al, have suggested that the figure referred to as A.Sh. may be Artur Shehu, who has been named in media reports as a principal seller of land for the proposed development.
Public Reaction
News of the probe and the possible ties to the resort have come amid nightly demonstrations in Tirana. Thousands of protesters have gathered in recent weeks demanding the project be halted and calling for Prime Minister Edi Rama's resignation over what opponents describe as threats to a protected coastal zone around Zvernec and the uninhabited island of Sazan.
SPAK did not respond to AFP requests for immediate comment on Saturday afternoon. Authorities said parts of the suspect investments relate to properties and construction projects in Tirana, Palase, Himare and other coastal areas.
What Remains Unclear
While media reports and public registry records link land purchases in Zvernec to ALD and the podcast description, SPAK's public statement did not name the tourism project directly. The investigation is ongoing, and courts will decide on the requested arrest orders and the status of the preventive seizures.
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