Crime rings in Western Balkans become big marketers drugs both at the regional level and at the level of the European Union, according to a report by the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA).

The report published today shows that the strategic geographic location of countries such as Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo, combined with high demand for drugs, especially in the European Union and Turkey, have accelerated the operations of criminal organizations.

“Some EU countries are on human trafficking routes that pass through the Western Balkans before re-entering the EU. This means that the flows of human trafficking can be complex,” says the Center’s report, which is part of a larger regional study conducted since 2019. and 2022.

The report says that the sizable diaspora from the Balkan region to the EU also provides a pool of people who can be used or recruited into these circles.

The EMCDDA reported the operational presence of Western Balkan groups in Belgium and the Netherlands, where the ports of Antwerp and Rotterdam are important for the distribution and importation of drugs into the EU.

EMCDDA notes that Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and the UK are also important locations for these organizations in the cocaine, heroin and cannabis markets in Europe.

The report states that these mafia networks have also adopted the latest technology available to improve the efficiency of drug production, trafficking and money laundering.

This includes sophisticated indoor growing equipment, drones, or the use of cryptocurrencies and encrypted communications.

Both the Western Balkans and the EU serve as safe havens for criminals on the run from rival criminal groups or law enforcement.

“Members of Italian and Turkish criminal networks are alleged to be fugitives while in the Western Balkans, and Russian criminal organizations are suspected of money laundering activities along the region’s coastline,” the Center added.

Source: APE/MEB