Albanian police bust cocaine ring, hold Colombians

(Reuters) – Albanian police arrested eight people including two Colombians and the grandson of the late Stalinist dictator Enver Hoxha on Wednesday in a drugs raid that netted 100 kg (220 lb) of cocaine, officials said.

It was Albania's biggest cocaine haul, suggesting Western Europe as the likely destination for the stash, the third time in recent years that Albania has been found to be a staging post for Latin American narcotics gangs.

The group were captured as night fell at their factory, located among livestock stables and barns in Elbasan, a town near the capital Tirana, according to police and media reports.

Saimir Batku, the alleged mastermind of the gang, was caught as he fled in a car with 18 kg of cocaine, 300,000 euros and a hand gun, Interior Ministry spokesman Florion Serjani said.

Police said Ermal Hoxha, Enver Hoxha's grandson, was among those arrested.

Last year, police broke the control of the cannabis mafia over two no-go enclaves where the drug was being cultivated openly, helping NATO-member Albania gain candidate status for European Union membership. (Reporting By Benet Koleka; Editing by Kevin Liffey)