Albanian police arrest 20 suspects in a toxic waste trafficking case involving shipments to Thailand, with 13 more individuals still wanted.
TIRANA: Albanian police have arrested 20 people for their alleged role in trafficking toxic waste from the country to Thailand.
The arrests follow an investigation launched over a year ago into more than 100 containers of hazardous waste from a steel mill in Elbasan.
Prosecutors had issued 33 arrest warrants targeting an alleged trafficking network, including customs agents and National Environment Agency employees.
The suspects face charges of trafficking prohibited goods, abuse of office, and money laundering.
Police are still searching for 13 other suspects, including three Turkish nationals and one German.
Raids were launched after lab analysis confirmed materials returned to Albania in 2024 were toxic.
Customs documents had falsely declared the shipment as iron oxide when it left for Thailand.
The shipment was rejected after environmental group Basel Action Network claimed it contained illegal toxic waste.
BAN, citing a whistleblower, said the cargo contained electric arc furnace dust, a toxic steelmaking byproduct.
Albanian experts began sampling the returned shipment last October as part of the smuggling probe.
Prosecutors said they opened the investigation into smuggling and abuse of office with the European Anti-Fraud Office.
BAN founder Jim Puckett questioned the delay in analysing the sample, warning the material could have leaked or been tampered with.
Environmental campaigners say industrial waste is often shipped by Western countries to Asia and Africa for processing.
They estimate this global trade may be worth up to USD 82 billion a year.
