ROME AP Police on Tuesday detained 26 people suspected of smuggling would-be immigrants and drugs across the Mediterranean from Albania. Italian news reports said the suspects included Italians and Albanians. Several of the arrested own shipyards along Italy's southern coast and allegedly provided smugglers with powerful boats with secret compartments to transport drugs. The government is attempting to crack down on the illegal trafficking of people and drugs by heavily patrolling Italy's long coastline. But dinghies filled with would-be immigrants continue to arrive almost on a daily basis. Most are Kurds ethnic Albanian Kosovo refugees or northern Africans fleeing persecution or war at home. They usually pay smugglers huge fees for the voyage but are often left stranded several kilometers off the coast and many die trying to swim ashore. vg APW19981201.1409.txt.body.html APW19981201.0364.txt.body.html