TIRANA: Police say they have arrested two Albanians and a Turk on smuggling charges for arranging for Turkish citizens to get into European Union countries without visas through Albania.
Police said in a statement Friday that the three were arrested at Tirana airport. They are accused of helping Turkish citizens, who need no visa to enter Albania, move on to Montenegro, Serbia and Hungary as a means of making their way to other EU countries.
They allegedly charged 3,600 euros ($3,900) per person. The three face up to 10 years’ imprisonment if found guilty.
Albania is not on the route of refugees and migrants from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries heading to the European Union. The main route is from Turkey to Greek islands, then north through Macedonia and Serbia toward other EU nations.
The government says, however, it has made preparations to shelter refugees should they begin arriving in Albania during the winter.
