16th of June Albanian police started the operation against the Cannabis cultivators in Lazarat. Around 500 heavily armed Albanian police accompanied by armored trucks and special forces besieged the village. Heavily armed gang members responded with fire from automatic weapons, rocket propelled grenades and mortar shells. The police came under attack once they reached the outskirts of the village, at this time televisions reporters were broadcasting the operation live.
17th of June On the second day of the operation, the police had reinforced to 800 officers. According to law enforcement officials, a significant portion of the gunfire originated from two houses suspected of containing large caches of weapons. Within the community, numerous drug gang members were observed firing weapons from strategic positions, utilizing resources from at least four underground armament deposits previously belonging to the military and readily accessible from the village. The police managed to capture around a quarter of the village. The police seized "considerable quantities" ammunition, drug-processing machinery and cannabis. The government forces then destroyed around 11,000 cannabis plants. Albania's interior minister
Saimir Tahiri told
AP News that the police operations would continue until "every square centimeter in Lazarat is under state control". Smoke arose from the village as cannabis cultivators started to burn their crops.
19th of June On the 19th of June the police advancement had been stalled by anti-aircraft gunfire. Gunmen on the nearby Mount Sopot were operating an anti aircraft gun. A group of
RENEA operators were flown in, on a
AS332 Super Puma and dispersed the gunmen. This led to a police breakthrough.
20th of June By the 20th of June the entire village was under police control; the Albanian police declared victory. A thick haze of smoke lingered over the village, as a result of the incineration of marijuana that had taken place throughout the day. This marked the first day without any gunfire since the operation began. According to official reports, a total of 25.4 metric tons of marijuana and 91,000 cannabis plants, as well as four drug-manufacturing facilities, were destroyed after authorities searched 162 structures. Notably, law enforcement officials discovered a ton of marijuana concealed within a water tank in an underground storage room in one of the homes. In addition, authorities seized 20 heavy firearms, tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition, and numerous rocket-propelled grenades during the operation. A total of 14 people were arrested. Three police officers and one villager were wounded during the operation as a result of the gunfire exchanged between police and drug gang members. ==Aftermath==