The Kosovo Police, under the authorization of the Special Prosecutor’s Office, conducted an operation in Pristina on June 30, as a result of which assets worth 1 million euros were seized.

According to the official announcement, the operation was carried out as part of an investigation into the transnational laundering of the proceeds of drug trafficking, carried out by the Italian and French authorities, coordinated by Europol and Eurojust, in close cooperation with the Special Prosecutor’s Office and the Police of Kosovo.

“The analysis of the material seized during the investigation, together with the information obtained by the Special Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Kosovo – Department for the Investigation of Organized Crime in the execution of a request for mutual legal assistance submitted by the Italian judicial authorities, enabled the investigators to identify bank accounts, business interests, real estate and high value vehicles owned by a married couple citizens of Kosovo residing in Italy. The couple, who are under criminal investigation in Italy on suspicion of money laundering, were arrested in France in September 2025. The police had discovered more than 56 kilograms of gold bars and 2.5 million euros hidden inside the modified compartment of the two vehicles, “said in the announcement, klankosova.tv reports.

Also, in September 2025, other proceeds from criminal actions worth more than 30 million euros. These assets were linked to a transnational criminal network engaged in laundering the proceeds of drug trafficking in France by individuals associated with criminal groups in France.

According to the authorities, the conversion of cash into gold served a dual purpose: concealing the illicit origin of criminal proceeds and facilitating their concealment and cross-border transportation, particularly in Kosovo, Turkey and Morocco.

In the execution of the request. for mutual legal assistance, the Special Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Kosovo – Department for the Investigation of Organized Crime, in close coordination with the Kosovo Police, took all the necessary procedural and investigative measures, resulting in the identification, tracking and seizure of assets within the territory of the Republic of Kosovo with an estimated value of approximately 1 million euros. Europol and Eurojust provided significant support throughout the investigation by facilitating cross-border judicial and operational cooperation between the Italian authorities, French and Kosovo, which have played a key role in identifying, tracking and seizing criminal assets in multiple jurisdictions.

Source: prizrenpost