A nearly year-long Sky News investigation paints a troubling picture of how, according to the report, some Albanian criminal networks involved in cocaine trafficking in Britain operate. At the center of the findings are recruitment through TikTok, the use of dedicated phones for orders, and suspicions of overlap with migrant smuggling networks.
Undercover investigation in several British cities
Journalists from the British broadcaster carried out an undercover operation in cities including Exeter, Wigan, Derbyshire and Royal Tunbridge Wells, while traces of the activity, according to the investigation, also lead to Spain and Albania.
In one of the documented episodes in Exeter, a person identified as “Leo” offered the undercover reporter accommodation, a price list for cocaine and the opportunity to start work immediately as a dealer. The conversation took place in a public cafe, without his knowledge that he was speaking to a journalist and that the exchange was being secretly recorded.
TikTok, from social network to recruitment channel
According to the investigation, part of the recruitment is carried out through Albanian-language notices published on TikTok. Some are presented as job offers for drivers, with high pay, fuel and accommodation included, but without making the real nature of the activity clear.
The journalists also report that they identified symbols suspected of being used as codes for cocaine. This suggests an effort to conceal trafficking behind a “normal” jobs-market facade on social media.
£280 a day and a phone worth £300,000
At another meeting, in Wigan, a person offered the undercover reporter £280 a day, in cash, to distribute cocaine. According to Sky News, the network relies heavily on so-called “deal phones,” the phones through which orders are taken and customers’ addresses are passed on.
Because of the network of contacts built up over the years, these phones are presented as a high-value asset for criminal groups. The investigation also mentions a TikTok post in which one such phone was offered for sale for £300,000.
To test the mechanism, a Sky News journalist ordered cocaine in Royal Tunbridge Wells and, according to the report, was told that delivery could be made within 30 minutes.
Suspected links to illegal migration networks
Another part of the investigation focuses on possible links between drug trafficking and illegal migration networks. On TikTok, the journalists identified an advertisement in Albanian offering transport to Europe for people with problems with the British authorities.
A person behind that notice offered the undercover reporter to get someone out of Britain by truck for £2,500. Frank Stewart, an official at Britain’s National Crime Agency, said there are links between some Albanian drug trafficking groups and illegal migration networks.
Control of the chain and warnings of violence
According to Sky News, these groups have strengthened their position in the British cocaine market partly through direct links with suppliers in South America, bypassing European intermediaries. British officials cited in the investigation claim that the aim is to control the entire chain of activity in order to maximize profits.
The documentary also includes testimony from an Albanian man who says he arrived in Britain by small boat in 2022 and later worked in the drug trade after relatives had financed his journey on the condition that he work for traffickers.
Former police officer David McKelvey warns of the high level of violence that, according to him, accompanies these organizations, mentioning kidnappings, torture and killings in cases of internal conflict or rivalry.
Sky News stresses that the overwhelming majority of Albanians living in Britain have no connection to organized crime.
The documentary is titled “The Drug Lords Next Door” and was produced by journalist Chris Matthews in collaboration with Full Story Films and Quicksilver Media.