Federal law enforcement authorities on Wednesday charged 37 individuals in connection with an international drug-trafficking ring led by ethnic Albanians, whose operations are said to have netted more than $500 million during an 11-year run across three continents. The majority of the accused syndicate members were arrested early Wednesday in New York, New Jersey, Colorado and Florida, according to law enforcement officials. Several others were arrested earlier this month in connection with a drug-related shooting, and others are already in prison on related offenses. One of the accused ringleaders, Arif Kurti, was previously arrested in Albania on heroin trafficking charges. The US is requesting his extradition. According to court documents, the accused individuals are members of several interrelated Albanian family clans, known as fis. The syndicate's members included hundreds of members, associates, workers and customers who helped arrange for the importation and distribution of massive quantities of marijuana, cocaine, oxycodone and other illegal drugs across the US, Canada, South America and Europe, operating from 1999 until last month, officials said. The group used a professional money-laundering organization in Canada to wash more than $15 million in drug profits, officials said. Federal officials are seeking a total of more than $500 million in what they say are ill-gotten gains reaped from the syndicate during its run.
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