Albanian police say they have smashed a drug smuggling ring that used Switzerland as a major operational base for selling hard substances such as heroin.

Police sources in the Albanian capital, Tirana, attributed their success in arresting three smuggling suspects to close cooperation with Swiss police authorities. They said the three are suspected of laundering money in the capital.

Justice and Police department spokesman, Viktor Schlumpf, was unable to confirm the information.

The smugglers are believed to have amassed SFr4 million and laundered their profits in Albania.

Albania is considered to lie at the heart of the drug trade between East and West.

Drugs from Turkey were smuggled into Switzerland after transiting Albania and Italy.

swissinfo with agencies

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