Hint: it's not Amsterdam.
The last time police tried to enter the mountainside village of Lazarat near this historic southern city last summer, they prompted a ferocious firefight a local police commissioner describes as “very much like a real war.”
Speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of being ostracized, he said he was part of a special forces operation during which sniper units occupied high ground as SWAT teams moved in to arrest a handful of people working in fields surrounding the village.
They were no ordinary fields: Lazarat is known as Albania’s drug capital, notorious for its cannabis and lawlessness...
Last year’s raid didn’t last long. When officers began cutting down cannabis plants, 15 SUVs mounted with heavy machine guns materialized and started firing.
“We were drawing indiscriminate fire from 20 positions, including heavy machine guns and anti-tank missiles,” the commissioner said. “I saw a 70-year-old grandmother shooting at us with a heavy machine gun. I thought I was going to die.”
Worried about civilian casualties, the police withdrew as snipers disabled the SUVs with explosive bullets.
They haven’t been back.
Holy cow. Heavy machine guns and anti-tank missiles? That's some serious KYFHO going on there.
Makes me wonder if they have a schedule of motivational speakers.
No comments:
Post a Comment