A fugitive drug lord exposed for flooding Britain with cocaine in the Mail’s award-winning documentary Albanian Narcos has been arrested by armed police in Turkey.
Dritan Rexhepi, in his early 40s, was arrested in a dramatic operation after his details were leaked by an Interpol red alert for drug-trafficking and other crimes including murder.
The international crime boss, who was previously on Scotland Yard’s most wanted list due to his close ties to England, is believed to be the leader of an international drug cartel called Kompanio Bello, which transports drugs from South America to Europe.
The Interpol charge was brought by Italian and Albanian judicial authorities for crimes such as “premeditated murder, drugs, kidnapping/deprivation of liberty, forgery of travel documents, weapons and ammunition”.
Officials in Turkey said the man nicknamed the “King of Cocaine” entered Istanbul airport on a Colombian passport registered in the name “Benjamin Omar Perez Garcia”.
Dritan Rexhepi, the leader of the Kompanio Bello drug cartel, against whom a red notice was sought, was caught in a drug raid in Istanbul, Turkey’s interior minister said on Friday.
“Dritan Rexhepi, leader of the ‘Kompanio Bello’ drug cartel that exports drugs from South America to Europe, has been arrested,” said Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya on X.
Armed police stood guard as Rexhepi was taken from his hideout in Istanbul, Turkey
A triumphant police video of his arrest showed counter-narcotics officers in bulletproof vests taking cash, jewelry and watches from a safe in his hideout in a luxury apartment building in Istanbul. A revolver believed to belong to the convicted murderer was also seized.
EXCLUSIVE Albanian drug addicts bring Ecuador’s cocaine woes to Britain’s streets: Investigations reveal how a small Balkan country’s mafia seized control of transatlantic smuggling routes to flood cities like Brighton with drugs
Stephen Wright traveled to Guayaquil, Ecuador to investigate the drug gangs
As evidenced by the powerful documentary Albanian Narcos: Bullets, Bloodshed & Britain on Mail+ and Mail Online, as well as the accompanying two-part investigation released earlier this year, Rexhepi’s whereabouts have been a mystery since his controversial early release from prison in Ecuador two years ago. .
While behind bars in the South American country, he continued to direct the supply of large quantities of cocaine to the UK – where he was a prime target for the National Crime Agency.
In the Mail’s multimedia investigation in March, we revealed how Albanian drug gangs have ensured that cocaine can now be obtained faster than a pizza delivery man in the UK. In Ecuador, a ruthless local gangster working for a gang leader called “Carlos the Devil” told us about the horrific bloodshed behind the operation to export cocaine to Britain.
The man we called Junior was too afraid to answer questions about Rexhepi. Asked about Albanian gangsters linked to a series of drug-related mafia killings in Ecuador, he said: “If you fail, kill them.”
A prosecutor who survived five assassination attempts in Ecuador said of the Albanian drug lords there: “They are the masterminds and hire the killers.”
Under highly suspicious circumstances, Rexhepi was released early from a 13-year prison sentence for drug trafficking in Ecuador. His prison sentence did not stop his criminal activities.
From his prison cell in the capital Quito, he is said to have coordinated a “transnational crime group” of Albanian drug dealers called Kompania Bello using an encrypted cellphone. A major target for his illicit cargo was Britain, with its £2 billion cocaine market.
Rexhepi is also alleged to have ordered the killing of an innocent man after a rival Albanian drug gang allegedly stole millions of pounds worth of cocaine, which he smuggled into Portsmouth on a container ship full of bananas.
The victim’s only “crime” – he was kidnapped and murdered in Albania – was that he was the brother of someone who allegedly defrauded Rexhepi about drug supplies.
The video shows a line of vehicles heading to the emergency shelter in Istanbul, Turkey
Officials said the man nicknamed the “King of Cocaine” entered Turkey through Istanbul airport on a Colombian passport registered in the name “Benjamin Omar Perez Garcia.”
Dramatic images show the man being detained by armed Turkish police
Dritan Rexhepi, in his early 40s, was arrested in a dramatic operation after his details were leaked by an Interpol red alert for drug-trafficking and other crimes including murder
Just months after his release from prison, the criminal mastermind disappeared from the radar in Ecuador, setting off alarm bells in the alleged drug state, Britain, elsewhere in Western Europe and in Albania.
In Albania, he was sentenced in absentia to 25 years in prison for two murders (including the murder of a police officer) and is suspected of having committed further murders. He is also wanted in Italy and Belgium and has several identities.
He was on Scotland Yard’s most wanted foreign criminals list a decade ago when he was believed to be hiding in Britain, and has links to London, Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire.
According to Europol, the Rexhepi syndicate stood out because it controlled the entire supply chain – from buying cocaine for export, to wholesale distribution, to selling it on the streets of cities like Brighton, as we revealed in our publication. Documentary and part one of the Mail investigation.
Ecuadorian law enforcement officials who share intelligence with the NCA have admitted they are unclear about the whereabouts of the kingpin of cocaine.
Officially, he was supposed to sign a register twice a month after his release as a condition of his release, but several sources said they suspected someone else was doing it on his behalf.
Footage shows Turkish authorities standing in front of the building where they arrested Rexhepi
Drug agents search the suspect’s belongings during a raid in Istanbul, Türkiye
Rexhepi’s whereabouts have been a mystery since his controversial early release from prison in Ecuador two years ago. In the photo: Drug investigators search the hideout
Police video of his arrest shows counter-narcotics officers wearing bulletproof vests taking money, jewelry and watches from a safe in his hideout in a luxury apartment building in Istanbul.
In the photo: a safe in the dugout with a weapon and ammunition
The items seized during the raid also include watches and jewellery
Video shows police searching a large safe and revealing its expensive contents
According to a head of the anti-narcotics department, an investigation was underway against Rexhepi’s partner, who traveled to the Colombian capital Bogotá.
“We have no doubt that he is carrying out illegal activities or returning through his partner,” he told the Mail, who spent a month in Ecuador investigating Albanian drug addicts.
The trail seemed cold until Rexhepi emerged in Turkey in a triumph for global law enforcement.
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Elizabeth Cabrera is an author and journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a talent for staying up-to-date on the latest news and trends, Elizabeth is dedicated to delivering informative and engaging articles that keep readers informed on the latest developments.
