Tirana: Albanian police arrested 39 people on Saturday including four police officers on charges of having smuggled some 1000 Albanians to Britain, the United States and Canada, and are looking for a dozen others, including two Bulgarians.

Since Albania embraced democracy in 1990, many Albanians have chosen to migrate for a better life, some paying hefty sums to smugglers. Now they can travel freely in and out of the European Union's Schengen zone, but still need visas for Britain and North America.

National police chief Ardi Veliu said seven criminal groups operating in Albania, Bulgaria, Spain, France, the Dominican Republic, Italy, Britain, Ireland, the United States and Canada had smuggled about 1000 people to Britain, the US and Canada.

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"Every person paid at least £7000 ($12,500) to get to the United Kingdom and from $US24,000 to $US30,000 to reach the US and Canada," Veliu said.