Kalashnikov: It’s The Real Thing When It Comes To Guarding Coca-Cola Plant

It takes more than an assembly line these days to run the Coca-Cola bottling plant in Albania. It takes Kalashnikov assault rifles.

As looting spread to villages surrounding the Albanian capital, the plant - three miles from downtown Tirana - came under repeated attack on Friday.

The trim white factory, surrounded by a white wall and red metal fencing, was a natural target for roving mobs taking advantage of the complete absence of police in the midst of the country’s rebellion.

When the first band of looters came to the factory gates and started shooting guns into the air, the usual nine-man security detail called for help. Eleven cousins of the family that owns the land the plant is leasing arrived, armed with police batons and Kalashnikovs.

Together, they beat off the mob four times, keeping it from stealing the 40 red-and-white trucks and cars and from catching a glimpse of the gleaming marble floors, computers and production equipment inside.

The plant’s Italian general manager, Francesco de Candia, was confident his plant would survive unscathed. “They will all protect Coca-Cola, as it is a symbol in Albania - a symbol of freedom,” he said.

The 3-year-old plant, a joint venture between Atlanta-based Coca-Cola and Italy’s Gruppo Busi, puts out 80 million bottles annually.