English police say that at least 1,700 criminals from Albania are walking free in Britain.
Drug lords, people smugglers, fraudsters and sex traffickers are believed to be among the individuals currently on the run, reports the Daily Mail .
Officers from the Metropolitan Police and the National Crime Agency have sought information on each of the suspects from authorities in Albania in a bid to bring them to justice.
All the suspects are believed to have arrived illegally in the UK in barges and trucks.
The figure was made public as Home Secretary James Cleverly met Albanian Interior Minister Taulant Balla last week to discuss tackling illegal immigration and organized crime, the British newspaper added.
An insider said: 'The UK police requested information on 1,700 Albanian migrants suspected of being criminals, which the Albanian police quickly supplied. The Albanian police have requested information on all citizens who have been convicted of crimes in the United Kingdom, so that they can begin confiscation of illegal profits such as property, money, jewelry and vehicles in Albania .
Earlier this year, drug kingpin Denis Xhelili , 38, an Albanian immigrant, was jailed for ten years on suspicion of cocaine and heroin trafficking in Great Britain.
The Home Office said the UK and Albania were keen to target 'illegal finance, corruption, narcotics and organized immigration crime'.