United States Drug Enforcement Administration

DETROIT – U.S. District Court Judge Denise Page Hood sentenced an Albania national, Ylli Didani, 48, to 25 years in prison. A federal jury recently convicted him of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, conspiracy to distribute cocaine on board a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, announced United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. and Special Agent in Charge Joseph O. Dixon, Drug Enforcement Administration, DEA Detroit Field Division.

Gorgon was joined in the announcement by Marty Raybon, Director of Field Operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Special Agent in Charge Karen Wingerd, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations and Chief John Piggott, Farmington Hills Police Department.

Evidence at trial proved Didani was a leader of an international drug trafficking organization with ties to the United States, South America, and Europe. Didani and other unindicted co-conspirators planned and financed the distribution of cocaine from several locations including the Eastern District of Michigan. Didani arranged the distribution of enormous shipments of cocaine from South America to Europe, where the cocaine was seized by law enforcement. As a result of this investigation, in 2019 and 2020, law enforcement seized over 4300 kilograms of cocaine Didani’s organization loaded onto five different containerships that were bound for international ports. The seized cocaine has a street value of over $100,000,000.00.

“This sentencing sends a clear message that no drug trafficking organization is beyond our reach,” said Dixon. “The DEA works side-by-side with our local, state, federal, and international partners to identify, disrupt, and dismantle these global criminal networks. The seizure of more than 4,300 kilograms of cocaine during this investigation demonstrates what we can achieve when we stand united in protecting the public from those who profit from addiction.”

The evidence at trial proved Didani and other members of his organization planned the design of an underwater drone that would be utilized to transport large quantities of cocaine to Europe. The drone, which was going to be equipped with an underwater modem and GPS antenna, would transport the cocaine while attached to the bottom of a commercial containership. The drone would then be remotely released from the containership off the shore of Europe. The drone and cocaine would then be picked up by a fishing boat controlled by Didani’s organization.

“The interagency collaboration on this case is a prime example of how the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) is designed to combat transnational criminal organizations just like this one. We thank our partners for sinking this operation and bring justice to a foreign national who was poisoning our friends abroad,” said Gorgon.

“The laws governing the trafficking of drugs in the United States are very clear, there is no separate set of rules if the drugs are trafficked by land or sea,” said Karen Wingerd, Special Agent in Charge, Detroit Field Office, IRS Criminal Investigation. “This sentencing sends a direct message to drug traffickers globally that they will he held accountable for drug trafficking and the money laundering that comes with it. IRS Criminal Investigation is proud to be on the team with our law enforcement partners, keeping illicit drugs off our streets and out of America.”

“Today’s sentencing marks a definitive victory in our ongoing mission to dismantle transnational criminal organizations that profit from the scourge of dangerous drugs in our communities,” said CBP Director of Field Operations Marty C. Raybon. “This outcome is the result of seamless cooperation between CBP and our law enforcement partners and this sense of collective vigilance remains our strongest tool in protecting our communities and securing our borders.”

This prosecution is part of the HSTF initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Detroit comprises agents and officers from numerous agencies with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.  This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.  The Department of Homeland Security, the Internal Revenue Service and the Farmington Hills Police Department provided critical assistance in this investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Mark Bilkovic and Tim McDonald.