An Albanian drug kingpin with a lavish lifestyle was sentenced for plotting with a Detroit-area businessman to build a cocaine-smuggling submarine that helped power a multimillion-dollar narcotics operation.
U.S. District Judge Denise Page Hood sentenced Ylli Didani, 48, to 25 years in prison following a three-month trial in 2025 featuring testimony and court documents rife with details about maritime drug trafficking and photos of Didani posing alongside mounds of cash.
A federal jury convicted Didani of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, conspiracy to launder monetary instruments and conspiracy to distribute cocaine aboard a vessel subject to United States jurisdiction. The case illustrates the growing problem of so-called “narco submarines,” low-profile, semi-submersible vessels increasingly used by drug traffickers for their ability to avoid detection by authorities.
“Today’s sentencing marks a definitive victory in our ongoing mission to dismantle transnational criminal organizations that profit from the scourge of dangerous drugs in our communities,” Marty Raybon, director of field operations for U.S. Customs and Border Patrol in a news release posted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Michigan’s Eastern District. “This sense of collective vigilance remains our strongest tool in protecting our communities and securing our borders.”
