‘Most wanted’ gangster dubbed ‘King Cocaine’ who flooded UK with drugs & murdered cops is caught after 27 YEARS on run
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A FORMER law student who flooded the UK with Class A drugs and murdered two police officers has been extradited to Albania. Notorious gangster Dritan Rexhepi - dubbed the "King of Cocaine" - had been on the run for 27 years and was wanted in four countries.
![[Police escorting a suspected drug trafficker at an airport.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/albanian-gangster-dubbed-king-cocaine-962803569.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Rexhepi, 45, largely stayed one step ahead of the law and managed to evade capture and jail for many of his crimes across Europe. As well as his extensive rap sheet, Rexhepi became famed for his prison escapes - boasting more than Mexican drug lord Joaquin Guzman Loera, better known as El Chapo.
![[Albanian drug trafficker arrested at airport.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/albanian-gangster-dubbed-king-cocaine-962803568.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
He is also feared to have ordered the ruthless revenge killing of the brother of a man suspected of stealing a shipment of £20 million worth of cocaine to England that belonged to Rexhepi. Drug kingpin Rexhepi appeared on a most wanted list issued by Scotland Yard in 2013.
![[Interpol Red Notice for Rexhep Dritan, wanted for cocaine trafficking.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/76af0d49-5d00-49e4-8b73-5d13ea8f16db_5ac641.jpg?strip=all&w=348)
It was believed he was hiding out in the UK at the time. But the Albanian government beat Italy, Belgium and Britain in catching Rexhepi, who has now been extradited from Turkey. Footage showed the gangsters in handcuffs and flanked by cops being escorted onto a plane.
A row of armed cops met Rexhepi off the jet in Albania, and he was transferred to a jail. He is accused of murder, overseeing the kidnapping and execution of another Albanian, possessing illegal weapons and ammunition, and drug trafficking. Ilir Proda General Director of Albanian police told The Sun: "The extradition of Dritan Rexhepi is a huge achievement and shows the trust of the Albanian police in our partners worldwide.
![[Mugshot and wanted poster for Dritan (Gramos) Rexhepi, convicted of murder.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/012c8548-6663-463b-8fae-2822e883d4db.jpg?strip=all&w=523)
