Police officers from the Internal Affairs Service of the Security Forces proceeded to arrest five people, including a correctional officer and two prisoners, for trafficking mobile phones and drugs in the Avlona youth prisons.

The arrest took place on Sunday morning, while the case file that was formed includes another person, whose details have been identified.

A case file was filed against the five arrested – on a case-by-case basis – for breach of duty, bribery of an employee, forgery and a distinguished case of drug trafficking, as well as for violating the laws on sports and weapons and the laws on antenna licenses and the import and disposal of mobile phones in reservation stores.

The operation was carried out following a complaint about a person importing drugs into a prison on “orders” from inmates for money. The investigation that followed revealed a network of drug importation and trafficking, mobile phone devices, and phone bundles.

As announced by ELAS about the group’s modus operandi, a 46-year-old prisoner took advantage of his position in the Avlona prison while at the same time maintaining a key role in decision-making, delegating the search or receipt of each order to the network he had developed.

The 46-year-old, in fact, had a mobile phone with the knowledge of the arrested prison officer, through which he knew the services (days, persons, places) in the prisons and in particular at the gate which is the visitor control point. He also had immediate information about possible searches in the prisons where he moved freely, even at times when the other prisoners were in confinement.

The main supporters of the network were the two private individuals (43-year-old and 24-year-old) arrested, as the first held the role of the main importer through visits to the Penitentiary and the second was charged with finding and supplying the narcotics.

From their activity, which was uninterrupted, they obtained large profits since they traded their “merchandise” at prices many times higher than those outside the prison (indicatively, the selling price of the mobile phones ranged from 500 to 600 euros). The payment was made through money transfer companies or through accounts linked to prepaid cards in the details of the 46-year-old or his relatives.

The arrests took place while the 43-year-old attempted to smuggle 46 narcotic pills into the prison during the visit to the 46-year-old, which she had carefully hidden in her bra.

From the searches that followed in places of detention and in houses, as well as from the possession of the arrested, among others, the following were found and confiscated:

  • 17.7- grams of cannabis
  • multitude of cell phones
  • 2 smartwatches,
  • 4 fake service identity cards of a prison officer,
  • multitude of anabolic preparations,
  • 8 wireless,
  • 3 pepper sprays,
  • 895 euros,
  • evidence of money transfer totaling 28,466 euros and
  • a vehicle.

Those arrested were taken to the competent prosecutor’s office.