Lulzim Caka , arrested by Greek authorities in an operation conducted on September 9 at the "Eleftherios Venizelos" international airport in Athens, suspected of being the leader of an Albanian criminal group that trafficked 84 kilograms of cocaine from Colombia, has declared his innocence.
Caka was arrested along with his son, in a villa where 2 kg of cocaine, chemicals and drug packaging equipment, a pistol and a luxury car were discovered.
Also known as John Franco, in a video shared online where he is seen alongside his lawyer, he has denied having anything to do with the accusations made and declares that the truth will come out very soon.
"None of what they say exists. I am innocent. Justice will come out very soon. I have nothing to do with what the televisions, people and the police say. I am innocent," Caka says.
On September 9, a shipment of fresh roses from Colombia set Greek authorities and US DEA agents on alert when they discovered around 100 kilograms of cocaine inside. The drug had been camouflaged among the flowers in an attempt to smuggle it into Greek territory undetected.
Of the 80 boxes, inspectors - with the help of a special sniffer dog - discovered in 15 of them that the roses had an artificial stem, which contained cocaine.
Lulzim Caka is a well-known name in Albanian justice and is a wanted person in Albania. He was illegally released from prison in 2019, while at the time he was serving a 25-year sentence for serious criminal offenses.
The Greek court had considered Albania's request wrong and refused to extradite him. He is also known as the "terrible one of Berat", one of the gang leaders who operated during the years 1995-2000, mainly in the area of Berat, Fier and Lushnja.