Authorities in Italy, Albania, and Spain carried out a major operation on Wednesday, leading to the arrest of 27 people involved in drug trafficking.
The suspects were linked to two different groups, one led by Nigerians and the other by Albanians.
Italian police reported that 20 of the suspects were placed in custody, while seven were put under house arrest.
Investigations revealed that the Nigerian-led group recruited young Nigerian asylum seekers and refugees to move marijuana across Italy and other parts of Europe.
A major bus terminal near Rome’s Tiburtina train station served as a key location for drug distribution.
The Nigerian traffickers allegedly found couriers in a migrant reception center on the outskirts of Rome, which also functioned as a storage site for the illegal substances.
Meanwhile, the Albanian-led group was accused of smuggling marijuana into Italy using fast boats from across the Adriatic Sea.
They then sold the drugs to the Nigerian traffickers.
Some Albanian suspects were also charged with using threats and violence against Nigerian buyers who failed to make payments on time.
The authorities are continuing their investigations to dismantle the entire network.