| Founded |
Early 1960s |
| Territory |
Balkans (Albania, Kosovo,Macedonia and Greece),Turkey, Czech Republic,Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia,Canada, United Kingdom,United States, Russia,Honduras, Israel, China,Scandinavia, and other parts ofEurope |
| Ethnicity |
Albanians |
| Membership |
Unknown |
| Criminal activities |
Arms trafficking, murder,fencing, robbery, human trafficking, blackmailing, loan sharking, drug trafficking, theft,money laundering, assault,pimping, and bribery |
| Allies |
Sicilian Mafia, Camorra, Greek mafia, 'Ndrangheta, Sacra Corona Unita, Turkish mafia, and Russian mafia, |
The Albanian Mafia or Albanian organized crime (Albanian: Mafia Shqiptare) are the general terms used for criminal organizations based in Albania or composed of ethnic Albanians. Albanian organized crime is highly active in Albania, the United States, and the European Union countries, participating in a diverse range of criminal enterprises including trafficking in drugs, arms, humans, and human organs. The Albanian criminal scenario is characterized by diversified criminal plans which, in their complexity, show one of the highest criminal capacities in the world. In Albania alone, there are over 15 mafia families that control organized crime. According to Wikileaksreports, the Albanian mafia has monopolized various international affiliations from as far east as Israel, to as far west as South America. These reports primarily indicate a strong connection between politicians and various Albanian mafia families. According to the Research Institute for European and American Studies (RIEAS), Albanian mafia groups are actually hybrid organizations (various sectors of society), often involved in both criminal and political activities.[1]