TIRANA, August 26 – The United Kingdom and Albania have signed their first regional Asset Sharing Agreement after authorities recovered proceeds linked to a drug trafficking case.
The agreement follows a criminal case involving a conspiracy to supply cannabis to organised crime groups in England and Wales. British and Albanian authorities worked together to trace and recover criminal proceeds in Albania.
Under the agreement, the recovered assets will be divided equally between the two countries. The arrangement will also allow both governments to reinvest the proceeds for social benefit.
The agreement began with an official ceremony in Tirana on July 13. British Ambassador to Albania Nicholas Abbott and Risena Xhaja, Director of Albania’s Agency for the Administration of Seized and Confiscated Assets, attended the ceremony.
Meanwhile, British and Albanian law enforcement and judicial authorities continued negotiations. The United Kingdom’s Home Office, National Crime Agency and Crown Prosecution Service supported the process alongside Albanian authorities. The agreement was formally signed in the United Kingdom on August 6, 2026.
The initial agreement covers £54,000 in recovered real estate assets. The two sides will share the amount equally.
The deal forms part of broader cooperation against serious organised crime, money laundering and the use of cryptocurrencies by criminal networks.
Albania’s Agency for the Administration of Seized and Confiscated Assets has also increased revenues from seized and confiscated assets. In the first quarter of 2025, the value of seized assets exceeded €58 million, involving more than 1,000 seizures and confiscations of real estate.
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