Saimir Tahiri: Interior Minister, abuse-of-office conviction
Status: Convicted of abuse of office at first instance; appeal reported as pending in one source. Status to be checked on the court record.
Summary
Tahiri was Interior Minister in the period of the Lazarat crackdown. Opposition figures and a former police inspector say he protected a car and drug links. FTM reports that Italian investigators implicated him in a drug case. The Albanian Special Court (Gjykata e Krimeve te Rënda) convicted him only of abuse of office. Other charges were dropped.
The sources disagree on the details: one says three years' probation, another three years and four months in prison, and one says the appeal is pending. The conviction is for a lesser charge than trafficking or protection of traffickers, which is what the allegations concern.
Key facts
- October 2013: Fier police stopped a car reportedly linked to Tahiri; a superior reportedly barred a search (FTM).
- 2016: Tahiri says Albania was removed from the drug-origin map (Shqiptarja).
- Court: convicted of abuse of office only; other charges dropped (Wikipedia, Shqiptarja).
The record
Four lists kept apart on purpose: what is established, what is only alleged, what is still open, and what those concerned said.
What is proven (1)
Established by documents or official records, as stated in the research. A recorded charge or indictment proves only that the accusation was made.
- Conviction for abuse of office (court decision as reported).
What is alleged (1)
Accusations, not findings. Those accused are presumed innocent.
- AllegationLinks to drug groups (not proven by a court in the sources reviewed).
Allegations and who made them (2)
Each line is an allegation as recorded, with the person or body that made it where the record names them.
- AllegationProtected drug traffickers while Interior Minister (Zagani; Berisha; FTM).
- AllegationWas cousin of the Habilaj family (Shqiptarja).
Open questions (3)
- Which charges were dropped, and on what evidence?
- What did the Italian investigation establish?
- Appeal outcome and final sentence.
Responses (1)
Responses of the people and organisations concerned, as recorded.
- Tahiri has argued that the claims about drug origin are false and that cannabis was found across Albania (Shqiptarja summaries).
Figures
Money trail →Cash seized at Durres port (two Toyota Yaris), 2018
€3,400,000
seizureSource label: Officially reportedStated definition: Police seizure; court ordered confiscation to the state. Source of cash not established in the sources reviewed.
Date: 24 Jun 2018 · Payer: unknown · Payee: state (confiscation)
- Apeli i GJKKO konfiskon 3.4 mln eurot e Toyota Yaris i kalojne shtetit (opens in a new tab)Shqiptarja · 24 Jun 2018 · journalism · SQ
Timeline
Full timeline →Government
Tahiri: Albania removed from the map of drug-origin countries
Interior Minister Saimir Tahiri said that after seven months of operations, mainly in Lazarat and Dukagjin, Albania had been removed from the map of countries with drug origin. The claim is his own and was contested.
Media
FTM: former police inspector says 'My country has become a narco-state'
Follow the Money published interviews in which former police inspector Dritan Zagani says Albania has become a narco-state and blames Rama for infiltration. The government rejected the allegations as political accusations without facts.
Media
FTM 'The EU Files' on Albanian groups and state links
FTM reports Albanian groups operating in Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and Spain; claims of state infiltration (attributed); Operation Tornado (Brescia, Sept 2024; about EUR 375m alleged laundering network); Spain's 13-tonne Algeciras seizure (Nov 2024). Government denied the allegations.
Connections
Convicted of abuse of office only
Evidence: Other charges dropped; sentence and appeal status reported differently.
Sources for this record
Every source the research cites for this record, grouped by its source label. 5 sources.
Source label: Officially reportedOfficially reported · 4 sources
- Publisher
- Follow the Money / BLAST
- Date
- 6 Nov 2025
- Publisher
- Intellinews
- Date
- unknown
- Publisher
- Wikipedia
- Date
- unknown
- Publisher
- Shqiptarja
- Date
- 24 Jun 2018
Source label: UnverifiedUnverified · 1 source
- Publisher
- Shqiptarja
- Date
- 2016