Ecuador restores visas for Albanian citizens

2022-11-19 22:05:19Aktualitet SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Ecuador restores visas for Albanian citizens
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Due to transnational organized crime related to drug trafficking, the government of Ecuador decided to request the reinstatement of visas for citizens from Albania, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. This action comes amid a growing wave of insecurity and organized crime, where the government of President Guillermo Lasso has implemented several measures, including diplomatic ones: visa requirements for citizens of Albania, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
In recent years, Ecuador has become a center of operations for European drug traffickers, especially Albanians, Montenegrins, Spaniards, Greeks, Dutch and Belgians. For this reason, on September 7, the government decided to withdraw free access to the national territory for the country of the Balkan Peninsula and the two countries of Central Asia. The objective is to establish greater control of people arriving in Ecuador.
The last controversial case involving an Albanian was the disappearance of Dritan Rexhepi, better known as the "Cocaine Czar", after the Ecuadorian justice system granted him pretrial release in November 2021. The Albanian, who has six different identities, was arrested in June 2014 in Guayaquil, in an operation that the Police called 'Balkan'. His capture brought the Albanian police and Interpol to Ecuador, because Rexhepi is wanted in two European countries, Ecuadorian media reports.


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