Albanian Dritan Gjika who would kill the president of Colombia in South America
Albanians have created dangerous international gangs in cocaine trafficking. But they have also become scary because, as in the case of Colombia, they have attempted to kill the president of Colombia.
Colombia’s president, Gustavo Petro, has stated that an international narcotics network, led by Albanian citizen Dritan Gjika, has attempted to kill him, writes the Colombian newspaper « Infobae ».
According to Petros, this powerful criminal group, which he calls « Narcotraphic Junta » and which he says is headquartered in Abu Dhabi, is responsible for a series of serious offenses, including the killing of Paragly Prosecutor Marcelo Pecci and the control of structures within the Colombian justice system.
« This criminal structure has also planned assassinations against me, but thankfully they did not succeed, » Petro wrote on « X ».
Dritan Gjika, considered the network leader, was arrested on May 27 in the United Arab Emirates and is suspected of trafficking over 9.5 tonnes of cocaine from Colombia to Europe. He operated mainly by Ecuador.
It is not the first time the Colombian President has been talking about this structure. During a meeting of the Council of Ministers on March 10, 2025, he publicly stated that his life is in danger and directly accused the so -called « New Narcotraphic Governing Junta », based in Dubai, as an organization planning his murder.
In the post, the president of Colombia has shared a diagram published by the international organization « Insight Crime », which deals with the investigation and analysis of organized crime in Latin and Caribbean America. This map appears as the main figure is Dritan Gjika and Mario Sanchez Rinaldi, who are considered controllers of some companies involved in criminal activities.
In addition, the diagram also mentions other people connected to this network, such as Julio Lalangui, Ruben Cherres, Bryan Lalangui and Erjon Spahiu.
Diagram presented by the Colombian President
What does Insight Crime’s report say
On February 6, 2024, Ecuador National Police conducted an operation in a luxury villa on the outskirts of Guayaquili, the country’s largest port city to capture Gjika. A woman and her daughter were found in the apartment, along with firearms and ammunition. But not the person being sought.
The operation was part of a joint action between the Ecuadorian and Spanish authorities, which ended with the arrest of 31 people suspected of being part of an international cocaine trafficking network. Following the arrests, wealth was raised worth over $ 51 million related to the group.
According to Insight Crime, Gjika had built a sophisticated facility for traffic and money laundering, in collaboration with influential businessmen and protection from senior police officials. He had gone to Ecuador in 2009 and created his base in Guayaquil, hiding criminal activity through construction companies and agricultural exports.
The group used these companies as a cover for traffic and money laundering. Over time, they adapted their methods to avoid detection, incorporating drugs into third -company containers, which made tracking more difficult.
The report also mentions the involvement of former Ecuador National Police Chief Tannya Varela, which is being investigated for possible links with the network. Meanwhile, Mario Sanchez Rinaldi, a businessman residing in Spain, is accused of involvement in the money laundering.
Following the 2023 blows, the network suffered great losses with the murder of Ruben Cherres, a close associate of Gjika, and the arrest of several other members.
Investigations into this international network continue, while President Petro’s statements have caused a major debate on public opinion and Colombian politics.
