TIRANA, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- Albania's Special Court of First Instance for Corruption and Organized Crime has ordered the confiscation of 40 percent of assets of Kelmend Balili, the country's most-wanted drug trafficker who was arrested in January 2019, local media reported on Tuesday.
The court ruling followed a request of the Special Prosecution against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK).
The SPAK announced on Monday that the Special Prosecution for Confiscation has conducted a financial investigation on the assets of Balili, his brother Bashkim Balili and the company "Balili & Co".
The confiscated properties include 17 apartments owned by Balili, a number of buildings and over 28,000 square meters of land in several areas in the city of Saranda in south Albania.
The Agency for the Administration of Sequestered and Confiscated Assets in Tirana has been put in charge of the administration and use of confiscated properties, the court said.
Balili, also known as the "Escobar of the Balkans", was arrested last year by the Albanian police in cooperation with the country's intelligence service and international partners.
In May 2019 the Court of Serious Crimes sentenced Balili to 10 years in prison for international drug trafficking.
Balili is a former senior official at the local administration in Saranda. Prior to his arrest, he was hiding following an international arrest warrant for drug trafficking issued against him. Enditem
