Press Release
Tirana Prosecutor's Office discovers the basis of forgery of identity documents used for illegal border crossing in different countries, three arrested
The Prosecutor's Office at the Court of First Instance of the General Jurisdiction in Tirana has registered Criminal Proceeding No. 503 of 2023 for committing the criminal offense of "Forgery of identity cards, passports or visas", "Laundering the proceeds of a criminal offence or criminal activity", "Assistance for illegal border crossing" provided for by Articles 189/2, 287 and 298/3 of the Criminal Code.
The General Directorate of the State Police informed that the Europol Tirana national office has sent information that the German Federal Police, the Frankfurt Airport Inspectorate is conducting operational analyzes within the framework of the 'WATERMARK' operation. The operation identified a large number of Albanian citizens who attempted to travel to the United Kingdom via various airports in Germany using forged documents.
On 09.11.2022, an Albanian couple was arrested at Hanover airport who were trying to fly to London using forged Greek documents. The passports contained a mix of double S and crescent watermarks. They also contained a readable chip. The arrested citizens are O.N. and K.L., and during the investigation it was established that one of their relatives contacted a citizen in Albania through the 'Tik-Tok' application, the profile "passaportaeurope".
As a result of investigations by the Tirana Prosecutor's Office, carried out with special methods of investigation such as simulated purchase, observations, etc., the mechanism was discovered where various citizens ordered forged documents, including passports, to the citizen M.H. and he sent the orders to a laboratory in Kosova where the forgeries were carried out. These documents were then sent to the destination through their collaborators who camouflaged this illegal activity by transporting passengers from Kosovo to Albania and beyond. After a long investigative activity, it was possible to document the violations and arrest the citizens of M.H., Sh.H. and I.H.
The Prosecution is also in communication with the law-enforcement bodies of Kosovo, transmitting all the appropriate information in order to document and attack the base where forged documents are produced and used in several countries.