Albanian criminal networks have expanded their activities into the US and are collaborating with Brazilian groups. The drop in price and increase in the purity of cocaine are indicators of changes in the American market.
Albanian organized crime groups are expanding their influence in the international drug trade and have begun to penetrate the American cocaine market.
The warning comes from Neil Woods, a former undercover narcotics officer in the UK who spent 14 years infiltrating drug trafficking networks.
In an interview with Newsweek magazine, Woods said that Albanian groups have also launched "strong attacks" in the United States, describing their expansion as an international phenomenon. According to him, the decline in the price of cocaine and the increase in its purity on the American market are indicators of the efficiency created by cooperation between criminal organizations in different countries.
"Their strong interventions are essentially transglobal, which includes the US. The price has fallen and purity has increased in the US as everywhere else. Why? Because of the efficiencies created by this transnational collaboration," Woods said.
He particularly noted the links between Albanian and Brazilian groups, explaining that a significant part of cocaine processing and logistics is being carried out through Brazil, from where the drug is distributed to various destinations, including the US.
"The important connection that brings America into the discussion is between Albanian and Brazilian organized crime. Most of the processing and logistics now goes through Brazil, and from there the US is just one destination among others. The market has only grown," he stated.
Albanian networks have been operating in the US for years
According to Newsweek, Albanian crime groups are not a new phenomenon in the United States. In 2013, federal prosecutors in New York announced the conviction of 49 members and associates of an international Albanian crime syndicate that operated on three continents and distributed drugs in several US states.
The network spanned New York, California, Georgia, Colorado and Florida. According to the US Department of Justice, its members trafficked cocaine sourced from Mexico and South America, as well as marijuana, ecstasy and prescription drugs.
The US State Department has also identified criminal networks run by Albanians operating in the US, Europe, the United Arab Emirates and South America.
Data from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) appears to match Woods' observations of increasing cocaine purity. The 2025 National Drug Threat Report says the average purity of cocaine samples analyzed at the wholesale level rose from 86% in 2023 to 88% in 2024.
Woods' warning comes on the eve of the release of the Sky News documentary, "The Drug Lords Next Door," which examines how Albanian drug networks have built international supply chains and developed sophisticated distribution structures in Britain.
A year-long investigation by Sky News journalists uncovered hundreds of ads on TikTok offering drug delivery jobs in various British cities. The journalists applied undercover and were offered jobs selling cocaine, including a position paying £280 a day.
Former police officer David McKelvey, who has participated in operations against Albanian gangs in Britain, compared this way of organizing to the functioning of a large company that advertises and recruits employees.
The documentary also reveals the use of dedicated phones, where customer contacts and data are stored. According to the investigation, these phones can be sold for up to £300, giving the buyer not only a device but also a consolidated network of customers.
"The phone is the business. All your customers are on your phone. You're practically buying a business," McKelvey explained.
