Secret UK and Albania talks on illegal migrants exposed by Iranian hack

Cyber-attack reveals confidential negotiations on an ‘integrated approach’ to tackle Albanian organised crime and drug networks reaching UK

Figurines with computers are seen in front of Albanian and Iran flags
The latest hack, alleged to come from Tehran, forced Albania to take its migration tracking system offline Credit: Dado Ruvic/Reuters

Secret talks between the UK and Albania on combating organised crime and illegal immigration have been exposed in an Iranian cyber-attack on the Balkan nation’s IT systems.

Iran has been accused by Albania and the US over the attack against computer systems used by Albanian state police to track migrants entering and leaving the country, and for the subsequent leak of confidential data.

It comes just days after the US condemned Tehran for an earlier cyber-attack that disrupted Albanian government services in July. It was an apparent attempt by Iran to destabilise the Balkan state, a Nato ally, in advance of a conference hosted by Albania and attended by an Iranian opposition group.

The UK Government documents, allegedly hacked by the Iranians, are marked “sensitive” and were leaked over the weekend onto the encrypted Telegram channel.

They reveal confidential negotiations between Britain and Albania over measures to tackle crime gangs and illegal immigration in and out of the Balkan state. It will raise fears that sensitive government operational data could be accessed by criminals.

It follows an agreement signed last summer by Priti Patel, the then home secretary, to fast-track the deportation of Albanian criminals back to Albania and boost security co-operation to combat organised crime gangs in both countries.

A further memorandum was agreed last week by Albania’s parliament to share criminal and biometric data on Albanian migrants crossing the Channel illegally with UK law enforcement agencies. They now account for up to 60 per cent of all small boat arrivals.

Dungeness and Hastings Lifeboats carrying groups of people thought to be migrants
A majority of small boat arrivals into the UK are now thought to contain Albanian migrants Credit: Gareth Fuller/PA

The internal documents published on the Telegram channel include email correspondence in February 2022 between Gledis Nano, Albania’s then director of police, and Alastair King-Smith, the UK ambassador to Albania. It is among a cache of 1,400 hacked and leaked emails involving Mr Nano.

In one email, the police chief thanks Mr King-Smith for his help, stressing that “indeed we need your support now and in the future for our joint efforts against organised crime”.

It reveals that Border Force proposes to deploy officers to Albania to help “scope” plans for a major expansion of ports in Albania and to advise on security measures that could be taken to combat illegal immigration and the import of cocaine into Europe by organised crime gangs.

The memo, revealed in the leak, shows the Border Force role will focus on the Albanian ports of Durres and Porto Romano to “assess the container traffic, Ro/Ro, passengers, port and law enforcement IT systems, and the current operational capabilities that exist within the port”.

It also discloses attempts to create an “integrated approach” between Albania and Montenegro to combat drug and people smuggling through Durres, Porto Romano and Bar in Montenegro.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) has identified Albanian gangs as behind much of the European trade in cocaine, particularly in the south of England. Albanian criminals have also used their home-grown expertise in agroponics to expand into cannabis farms, usurping a market previously dominated by Vietnamese gangs.

Law enforcement agencies fear the surge in Albanians attempting to enter the UK illegally across the Channel on small boats is providing a ready source of recruits for the gangs operating in the UK.

The latest hack forced Albanian officials to temporarily take offline its Total Information Management System, used to track the data of those entering and leaving Albania, according to a statement from Albania’s interior ministry. It is likely some of the data could be shared with the UK under the new agreement.

The cyberattack was the work of the “same aggressors” that carried out the July hack, Edi Rama, Albanian Prime Minister, alleged in a tweet.

The incident poses a fresh challenge for President Joe Biden’s administration, which last week vowed to “hold Iran accountable for actions that threaten the security of a US ally” and Nato member following the July cyberattack.

The Treasury Department last Friday sanctioned Iran’s spy agency for allegedly carrying out the July hack. The White House said US officials were on the ground for weeks helping in the aftermath. Albania severed diplomatic relations with Iran in what may be the first case of hacking prompting a break in ties between countries.

Iran’s embassy in Brussels has “rejected the baseless accusations” that Iran was behind the July hack.

The British Home Office said it would not comment on leaks.

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