Our Cold War heroes boost
Violent gangs control drug trade
MEDAL CALL Julian Lewis THE campaign for Britain’s Cold War heroes to be recognised has been taken up by a senior Tory MP.
Defence Committee chairman Dr Julian Lewis backs medals for some of the 22,000 veterans involved in radiation tests in the 1950s. He said this year’s 50th anniversary of the UK’s at-sea nuclear deterrent was the time to “recognise the risks run by those who helped our ability to protect ourselves from nuclear blackmail”. BRITAIN’S £5billion cocaine market is now dominated by the ruthless Albanian mafia, experts have said.
Violent gangs from the Balkan nation are said to have slowly taken over the drug trade in Britain after steadily moving into the country after the fall of communism in Albania in 1990.
Now fearsome thugs control almost all of the market in the UK – with cocaine at its cheapest since 1990 and the purest it has been for a decade.
The Albanian mafia, or Mafia Shqiptare, seized control of the British drug market by ditching “wholesalers” and negotiating directly with Colombian This allowed them to lower the dish out threats to rivals. One video price while increasing purity. states they are “ready for war”.
The UK now has the highest When the Mirror visited the estate, number of young cocaine users locals told how the dealers sell in Europe. One small cog in their product from inside its the empire is the Hellbanianz, grim tower blocks. a notorious gang One said: “There are which rules over the 50 or 60 of them in the Gascoigne estate in tower blocks. Hellbanianz Barking, East London. – they’ve got a
The 50-strong mob reputation around posts social media here... They’re not kids, images showing wads of many of them in their 20s. cash and expensive cars. “I see them when they’re
The gang had 115,000 shooting videos. Cars Instagram followers, DESTRUCTIVE Drug user pull up, they get out before its account was closed in with masks on and film themselves.” November. They discuss defending A National Crime Agency spokesman Barking with “kallash” – AK-47s – and said: “Albanian crime groups have estabcartels. lished a high profile and degree of influence within UK organised crime, and have considerable access to the UK drug trafficking market, particularly cocaine.
“Albanian organised crime groups appear to be good at forging links with other groups to conduct criminal ‘business’ that includes drug and firearms trafficking, money laundering and human trafficking.”
Mohammed Qasim, of Leeds Beckett University, said: “The Albanians have a serious reputation. They will not think twice about using violence.”
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