Walter Finch
IT was just after dawn when elite Guardia Civil officers swept into a quiet hillside neighbourhood of Almuñecar on Granada’s Costa Tropical.
Moments later, one of Europe’s most wanted drug traffickers was being marched out of a luxury villa in handcuffs.
Juxhin Drazhi, an alleged Albanian mafia boss wanted by Interpol, bolted for the back of the property as the Rapid Action Group (GAR) moved in on 22 July.
In a last-ditch effort to escape, he scrambled down a steep, rocky slope, but agents positioned on the hillside were waiting.
READ MORE: WATCH: Police arrest British-Irish gang on Costa del Sol that smuggled tons of marijuana to Ireland
The 36-year-old, accused of running a cocaine and cannabis pipeline between Spain and Italy, was detained alongside his bodyguard – sinisterly armed with a silenced pistol – who surrendered without a fight.
Investigators say the villa – fitted with luxury finishes and perched high enough to watch every road in and out – was chosen to spot approaching police long before they arrived.
Drazhi rarely left, relying on trusted collaborators to bring in supplies to avoid recognition.
His capture is part of a major Albanian investigation into the powerful Elvis Doçi clan, led by the Special Court against Corruption and Organised Crime in Tirana.
Earlier this year, more than 50 suspects were arrested in the port city of Durrës and €12 million in assets seized. Italian anti-mafia authorities also worked on the case.
Inside the Almuñecar villa, officers found firearms, forged passports and identity cards, and a collection of high-end watches.
Albanian officials say Drazhi had already lost one company and nine properties to confiscation orders before his arrest in Spain.
He is now in custody awaiting extradition to Albania, where prosecutors are preparing organised crime and trafficking charges that could see him spend decades behind bars.
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