They recruited girls from Latin American countries and forced them into prostitution, 19 precautionary measures in Albania and Colombia

Police dismantle international network trafficking women for prostitution, 19 precautionary measures in Albania and Colombia

Police have struck an international human trafficking network exploiting women for prostitution. The organizer of the trafficking, Colombian citizen Lukas Betancur, was arrested in Colombia.

In Albania, the following individuals were arrested: Assel Adrysheva, Rostyslav Mieshkov, Denis Berisha, Mirel Shpërdheja, Dritan Sukaj, Ilmar Gugashi, and Kejvin Ndreu.

Full report:

Tirana / In intensive cooperation with international partners, authorities have targeted human trafficking for the purpose of exploitation through prostitution.

After eight months of investigations, the international police operation “Rrjeti” was completed.

The operation was conducted by the Section for Investigation of Illegal Trafficking at the Tirana Police Directorate, under the direction of the Prosecutor’s Office, in close cooperation with the Prosecutor’s Office and National Police of Colombia, Croatian Police, EUROPOL, and EUROJUST. The operation targeted a criminal group trafficking women from Latin America and Central Asia to Albania for sexual exploitation.

In Albania, precautionary measures were executed for nine members of the criminal group, seven of which included pre-trial detention. The organizer of the group, a Colombian citizen, was arrested in Colombia. Two additional members of the group are currently wanted.

A total of 48 foreign women have been legally processed for prostitution.

Authorities discovered a hotel on Reshit Collaku Street where some of the foreign women were accommodated and exploited for prostitution. Cash, seven mobile phones, and other valuable evidence were seized.

The investigation, initiated proactively in February 2025, led to the successful completion of the operation “Rrjeti,” targeting a criminal group recruiting women from Latin America and Central Asia, bringing them to Albania via online platforms, and forcing them into prostitution.

Key measures executed during the operation in Albania:

Pre-trial detention for: A. A., 43; R. M., 53; D. B., 39; M. Sh., 28; D. S., 37; I. G., 35; K. N., 25.

Obligation to report to the judicial police for: Z. B., 25; K. C., 29.

Two other group members declared wanted.

In Colombia, the organizer Lukas Betancur, 25, was arrested.

Roles within the criminal network (preliminary findings):

L. B. played the central role in recruiting women from Latin America, organizing their travel and accommodation in Albania, and pressuring or threatening the women and their families in Colombia in case of refusal. He cooperated with D. S. to secure accommodations and manage the prostitution network.

I. G. adapted a hotel on Reshit Collaku Street in Tirana as a place to house and exploit the women.

çA. A. and K. N. exploited several Kazakhstani women in the hotel for prostitution.

D. B. provided drugs to some women and arranged clients for prostitution.

K. P. (previously arrested) collected earnings from the criminal activity and transferred them to L. B. via cryptocurrency.

All procedural materials have been referred to the Tirana Prosecutor’s Office for further investigation.

This operation is a concrete example of successful international and institutional cooperation. Coordination with international institutions played a key role in the success of the operation.

The State Police remains committed to combating criminal activities that threaten the life and dignity of citizens and will continue cooperating with national and international partners to target all criminal activities.

“KORÇA BOOM”