In Verviers, it is not different from the general
activities of the Albanian mafia.
Principal activity is the organized
burglary. Apparently Zakim is the leader,
and employs thugs already in Verviers in the year 2000 who were concerned by
the first wave of burglaries.
Between end of 2001 and April 2002 one can estimate at least at 500 the number
of committed burglaries. It is enormous in term of damages for the victims and
profitability for the criminals. Those use different simple methods for entering
thru doors and windows.
To limit the risk of arrest, the actions are mostly
committed near highways. Also noticeable is the geographic alternation, from
day to day, between the provinces of Liège and Hainaut.
The bounty is first money, then all easily negotiable goods: juwels, electric
or electronic appliances, PC's and surely the car of the victim, the keys being
found in the homes.
Thus comes naturally the other activities of these
criminals ie car trafficking.
The Albanians don't seem to have a network for sending the cars to other countries
except a network for sending cars to Albania or Kosovo.
To be noted the Albanians drive the stolen cars for their own use during a few
days or sell these, frequently for next to nothing, to traffickers (mostly from
Maghreb) who, after make-up, send these to France and the South. Sometimes those
traffickers make advance orders for cars to the Albanians.
It is still the same song: quick benefits, easy
cash- the volume of the thefts making the turnover.
Receiving stolen goods is an activity of
the Zakim's group with the related benefits for the organization. In the Verviers
case, it seems that the bounty is put in storage before sending it to their
homeland. Accounting for the enormous number of thefts one can assume the existence
of clandestine storages, sort of "Ali Baba's cavern" from where the
bounty leaves by trucks toward Albania and Kosovo. In one of these storages
in a duplex rented by an Albanian girl we found more than 500 different goods
forthcoming from the organization's thefts.
Prostitution and THB are the principal activity
of the other brother Sami. In this activity he works first with Albanians but
also with the local Moroccan mob who escorts the girls.
Sami owns several girls located in Liège region and the Flemish Limburg.
They originate mainly from the East countries notably Lithuania and Belarus.
Following recent police interventions conducted in Liège our Albanian
procurers transfer now their girls in the
bars of the Namur and Charleroi region. This confirms, once more, the fast adaptation's
faculty of the Albanian mafia.
The Lithuanian girls are escorted by an Albanian accomplice whose wife is from
that country while the Belarus girls are bought by recruiting in the country
or through a Russian network passing to Germany where there are real slave's
markets organized.
Worth of notice is the fact that the Belarus girls use real Lithuanian passports
whose market is concealed thru false loss or theft's declarations, flourishing
while Lithuania prepares its entry into the EC.
The girls become then a real market's object and, following the wishes or the
interests of Sami and accomplices are resold to a fellow Albanian procurer.
The handling of the girls varies from one girl to another and from procurer
to another.
Worth noticing is that the girls are seduced by their procurers and some are
ready to sacrifice a lot for them. Also comparing the past and actual live's
condition in their homeland, the girls see often the prostitution as a lesser
of two evils that gives them revenues, meager by comparison to those of the
procurers but unexpected if they were in their homeland. In some cases violence
and humiliations are the daily lot of the girls who rebel against their exploitation.
Arms - trafficking is in no way negligible.
In the Albanian culture, the possession of a weapon is the fashionable tool
of one man's statute and machismo.
The collapse of Albania in the nineties and the
war in Ex-Yugoslavia have resulted in thousands of arms being available in every
place, coming from the militia, the pillaging of barracks, police offices and
even from arms factories. In full expansion, Albanian mafia could not ignore
this important source of revenues.
Our Verviers criminal core follows the game and the selling of all types of
weapons (Kalaschnikov, Makarov, Astra 6,35 mm, ... often manufactured under
license in Yugoslavia) seems to make part of their main business. It is known
in the mob that weapons are always available thru the Albanians.
Drugs - trafficking is not well documented
but it exists: simply it seems that the business is divided up between the Albanians
and local Maghreb and Greeks dealers, cocaine being mainly concerned.
Although this criminal activity is not directly managed by Sami and his partners,
they benefit from it and of the products
Another necessary activity for a mafia: Money
laundering.
This activity is still undocumented, our criminal core being to new to require
a permanent laundering structure. To this day, the unveiled operations seem
to indicate that a small amount of criminal money is laundered or sent back
to Albania or Kosovo, thru among others the Western Union society.
A very simple technique is used for those transfers: money is transferred to
the homeland or some is laundered thru a Belgium-Albania-Belgium there and back.
To be laundered the money is transferred by a figure - head to Albania or Kosovo,
than it is send back to the criminal thru a payment by a family member. If questioned
the suspected criminal certifies that the money comes from his family: needless
to say that any check of patrimony in Albania or Kosovo is next to impossible.
Part of the gains is also reinvested either into
clandestine games or in cash purchased goods: this is a marked attitude among
the bosses of the Verviers organization.
According to our information, a large part of the
goods and some money are send to Albania or Kosovo by couriers from the organization
or recruited by it.