Pubdate: Thu, 14 Jul 2011 Source: Wall Street Journal (US) Copyright: 2011 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. Contact: http://www.wsj.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/487 Author: Chad Bray DRUG RING ARRESTS More than three dozen members and associates of an alleged Albanian organized-crime syndicate have been charged in a long-running scheme to smuggle cocaine, marijuana and prescription drugs into the U.S., as well as Canada and Europe, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. A federal indictment outlined the purported decadelong scheme-and revealed an array of colorful nicknames the defendants allegedly used: "The Bear," "Juicehead," "Fat Ange," "Jo-Jo," "The Kid," "Lucky" and "Little Guy," among others. Some echoed the monikers of Italian organized crime. A man named Faik Mehmeti was known as "Frank Nitti," according to the indictment. The roundup included the arrests of 30 individuals in the New York City area and one defendant in Florida on Wednesday. Five members of the alleged syndicate, which was comprised of interrelated Albanian clans, were already in custody in the U.S. One of the alleged ringleaders directed the scheme while serving a five-year prison sentence in Albania, using smuggled cellular phones and BlackBerrys, prosecutors said. The U.S. plans to seek his extradition. Lawyers for the defendants couldn't be reached for comment. The scheme allegedly included shipments of marijuana hidden among seemingly legitimate goods in tractor trailers from Canada and Mexico, as well as drugs hidden in secret compartments in luxury automobiles headed for Europe, federal prosecutors in Brooklyn said in a detention letter filed in connection with the case. The vehicles were shipped to legitimate car dealerships controlled by members of the syndicate, prosecutors said. The charges include operating a continuing criminal enterprise, a variety of drug conspiracies, a money-laundering conspiracy and use of firearms related to drug trafficking. Prosecutors also alleged that the syndicate used the services of a Canadian money-laundering organization, including laundering more than $15 million of the syndicate's narcotics proceeds in one year. Prior to Wednesday's arrests, the syndicate was allegedly involved in negotiations to obtain hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from South America, some of which would be shipped to Canada in exchange for high-grade hydroponic marijuana, prosecutors said. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D