Italy’s Parliamentary Commission provides an important difference in relations between Albanian criminal organisations and traditional Italian mafias.
Albanian groups are no longer seen only as suppliers or collaborators in drug trafficking, but are gaining a role in joint criminal agreements and operations. The Hydra investigation in Lombard is one of the main examples of this co-operation.
A new report by the Parliamentary Commission Antimafia in Italy raises the alarm for strengthening and expanding criminal networks in the country’s north, putting the focus on ever-inconsolidated relations between Albanian groups and Italian historical mafia organisations.
The document, entitled “Relazione Sula falundata nellʹtheta tettenronal. Geography reveals radiocamento of nuve modalità operative was approved on November 3rd 2026 by Parliamentary Commission Antimafia, under the direction of Chiara Colosimo.
According to the report’s analysis and testimony of Italian prosecutors, one of the most important developments is transforming relations between criminal groups. Albanian organisations are appearing in co-operation structures, including representatives of Ndrangheta, Cosa Nostra and Camorra. At the center of the spotlight is the investigation, known as the Hidraão, conducted in the Lombardia region, which uncovered a co-operation structure among representatives of Ndrangheta, Cosa Nostra and Camorra, including Albanian criminal groups.
According to Italian newspaper Il Quatidiano del Sud reporting, the investigation shows that a system of co-operation has been created in northern Italy among criminal organisations, which share interests in drug trafficking, fiscal fraud and money laundering.
An important role in the case is prosecutor Alessandra Cerretti, who has described the presence of Albanian groups as silent but consistent and specialized. This testimony is interpreted as an indication that Albanian groups have gained a more important position in relations with traditional mafia organisations. One of the main findings of the report is that Ndangheta has changed the way it works in northern Italy.
Instead of the continued use of violence and direct territorial control, the organisation is increasingly using economic relations, businesses, companies and financial mediators to expand its impact.
The entrepreneurs in northern Italy are not always the victims of mob pressure. In some cases, they become clients or partners of criminal organizations, seeking illegal services to gain economic advantages.
The report describes this model as a commercial mafia, penetrates the legal economy, and exploits the weaknesses of the financial system. Another important element of the report relates to the fact that economic co-operation among criminal organisations does not mean they have renounced violence. Prosecutor Alessandra Cerretti, referring to the Hydra investigation, has stressed that despite common agreements and interests, these organisations remain Mafia and can use violence, threats or even murders when their interests are violated.
Meanwhile, National Anti-Mafia prosecutor Giovanni Melillo has warned that the relationship between the mafia and the legal economy has gone beyond the traditional concept of infiltratement, speaking of an ever deeper combination between criminal structures and a part of the economic system. The danger posed by Albanian criminal networks in Italy is also recorded in other international operations.
In May 2026, Eurojust announced a joint operation between Albanian and Italian authorities against a network involved in drug trafficking, murder and money laundering. The operation led to 12 arrests and to the identification of a cleanup scheme of nearly 1m euros, transferred from Italy to Albania. According to Eurojust, co-operation between the SPAK and Italian authorities has produced over 170 arrests during the period 2018-2026 and the seizure of more than seven tonnes of narcotics.
The new Italian Antimafia report shows that the challenge is not only related to drug trafficking, but also to the combination of criminal organisations in business, finance and economy, where borders between traditional Italian mafias and international networks are becoming less and less visible.
Source Layer: Insander
