A small “Piper” airplane was found by police at the Divjaka beach, in mysterious circumstances.
Police suspect the airplane might have landed due to a defect or maybe for drug traffic, since on the same day, in another road of Divjaka, a vehicle was caught with 200 kilograms of cannabis sativa in it.
The researches for the airplane started after an alarm raised by Rinas. The airplane belonged to an Italian citizen who had arrived in Albania two days ago, in the Rinas airport, with a regular permission from the Civil Aviation.
According to non-official sources, the airplane has stayed in Rinas for two days, until Saturday, when they received a permit to take off in a panoramic tour.
Same sources said for Top Channel that the airplane has lost contact with the Rinas tower and that’s why alarms were raised.
The Fier and Vlore authorities have been notified and they started looking for the airplane, until it was found in Divjaka.
Police sources say that the airplane was found fallen on the sand. The suspicions for drug traffic were raised because on another road police found a car with 200 kilograms of cannabis sativa. Police has surrounded the location and is making investigations.
Tahiri: Airplane landed due to malfunction
Interior Minister explains: Drug was found in a car
The Interior Minister, Saimir Tahiri, explained in a press conference the circumstances of the situation with the Italian airplane that landed in Divjaka.
Tahiri declared that the airplane landed due to a technical malfunction, and denied any eventual relations with drug traffic.
“The airplane had taken off from Rinas with a permission from Civil Aviation, and its destination was Italy. It landed at 14:40 in Divjaka due to a malfunction”, the Interior Minister declared.
The Interior Minister specified that it is the first time that this airplane lands in our country, and the drug was found in the vehicle of an Albanian citizen who had no connection with the airplane.
“The police surrounded the area and identified a vehicle with 460 kg cannabis sativa on board. The driver is Sajmir Bajrami, 35, who had 27,000 EUR with him”, Tahiri declared.
Italian pilot has criminal story
Riformato has been investigated by Guardia di Finanza
Giorgio Riformato, 57, pilot of the airplane that was blocked in Divjaka, is a known character for the Italian authorities. The Guardia di Finanza started an investigation against him in 2013 for fraud.
Investigations from the Italian Prosecution showed that Riformato was the director of a flying school in Mezenzana, near Varese, in Italy.
Riformato ha violated a series of flying rules by giving flying lessons without a permit. With the permit he could only make tourist flights, but not commercial ones.
According to the Italian authorities, the cost of a a training trip from Riformato was 1200 EUR, which is very high, worth for a trip from Europe to China or North America.
Rama and Berisha react on Facebook
Different stances on airplane
The Albanian Prime Minister, Edi Rama, reacted through his Facebook profile by saying that today’s operation showed that the Albanian police is doing its duty.
“Today’s operation proved that the rule of law is being returned rapidly. The police has returned to its duty now”, Rama writes on his Facebook website.
The former Prime Minister, Sali Berisha, reacted and said that the airplane fell because it was overloaded with drugs and was not caught by the police.
But in a second reaction, Berisha declared: “The airplane took off from Rinas with very serious drugs and in Divjaka took the other load, with which it fell. The pilot is a person with a criminal history, but certainly he gives part of his profit to Rama and his suite. Rama and Meta turned Albania into the Columbia of Europe. The mafia regime is staining our dignity and that of Albania”, Berisha declared.
Top Channel
