“Albanians control drug trafficking on the EU market”

“Albania is a country where there is great cannabis cultivation, there are people who can import 613kg of cocaine, there are criminals who are likely to send their money there. The whole of Europe is saying that Albania is an organised crime country”. In a diplomatic, and once direct language based on concrete examples, Mr. Laurent Laniel, scientific analyst for reducing the drug supply, at the European Center for Drugs and Poverty (EMCDDA), headquartered in Lisbon, has given his office an exclusive interview for “Monitor”.

From the beginning, he says there is little information about what is happening inside Albania, but he is well aware of the impact Albania has on European narcotics markets, and especially Albanian-speaking criminal groups, who are taking the lead in distributing narcotics on EU markets, significantly worrying European authorities.

It states that after 2016, mass cannabis production is no longer reported by Albania, but the seizures of cannabis quantities on the border continue, which leads to two conclusions, large stock, or production continue in closed spaces. Another phenomenon currently under investigation is the trafficking of cannabis oil from Albania, mainly in Greece and Turkey, where Albanian traffickers allegedly exchanged it for heroin in Turkey.

He acknowledges that Europe has been soft with Albania for the history of cannabis, as it is not considered very harmful drugs and is in the process of legalisation in many countries. But now the cannabis has returned as a priority, as it generates money for criminals who then invest this money and distorts the economy, distorts society, corrupts local officials, the private sector, etc.

But more than for the cannabis planted in Albania, European authorities are concerned about criminal groups operating outside Albania and this fact Mr. Laniel repeats it several times during the interview. Albanian traffickers operating in the EU have been significantly strengthened recently and are taking over the market in Britain, eastern France and so on.

“Colegs in Britain say Albanians are already taking the lead in the cocaine market and distribution at the medium level”, he claims. Albanians abroad are becoming a greater threat, as they seem to be involved in the biggest drug markets. Interestingly, the fact that Albanians take the lead in distributing narcotics, as they are perceived to be efficient and true to their word -- which reminds us of the Albanian tradition of trust -- and manage to bring the cargo according to orders.

European authorities do not rule out the possibility that groups operating in Europe are linked to those in Albania, even suspicions are that crime bosses in Albania are protected and find nothing. The biggest question is how Albanian criminals, operating outside Albania, interact with those in Albania. Are they, as police officers believe in several European countries, linked to crime bosses, who are in Albania and apparently protected and nothing finds them there and they organise operations and take money from operations conducted abroad, such as trafficking cocaine and heroin”, states Mr. Laniel.

Another fact, according to him, is that Albanians are involved in bringing cocaine directly from South America, which is another step in trade. However, according to its estimates, for Europe, Albania is not yet a major distribution centre for cocaine, as the largest activity of importing and distributing cocaine for European markets is from the ports of Belgium and the Netherlands.
Mr. Laniel. states that all these illegal activities, both inside and abroad, can potentially generate the flow of dirty money, which can enter Albania, which can distort the economy in Albania.

But, in the end, he is optimistic that the situation will improve, as the country is in the process of integration towards the European Union. If Albania were to be abandoned, you would have to worry seriously. Now you may be concerned, but maybe less”.

Below in full interviews:

We see that Albania is increasingly mentioned in your reports as a country producing cannabis or transitary in narcotics trafficking...

Albania is, or at least until recently, a key cannabis producer reported by Italian partners who flew over the country and outlined large quantities of planted cannabis.

There has also been a large amount caught at the borders with neighbouring countries with Albania, especially in Italy and Greece. So it is certain that at least until 2016, Albania has been a major producer of cannabis in agriculture.

Do you have any appreciation for the amount that may have been sown?

No, I have no idea. When I moved to Albania, I asked to be given the figures, but I was not given them. You may ask the University of Naples about the results they may have from field observations by the Italian Guardia di Finanza. I don't have the data.
In 2017, from the same surveys in the same aircraft areas, there was almost an extinction of cannabis cultivation in Albania. Thus, at least outside there was no more sowing, as was the case in 2016, only if the planting continued in closed spaces.

So that's what we're told, there's no more cannabis growing in Albania. However, the quantities of cannabis at the border continue, so there's something mysterious here, or something counterintuitive. Perhaps the cannabis was preserved in Albania, so large quantities were stored somewhere and production was large, or it continues in closed spaces and planes cannot catch it. The traffic continues. I have no information about one or the other. I say there are two hypothesiss. The large amounts that continue and get caught lead only to these two conclusions, large stock, or production continue in closed spaces.

How do you explain this large amount of planting?

It's not like I have an explanation. Cannabis has been planted before 2016. 2016 was the first year that it was arranged through aircraft to grow vast surfaces. It has been planted in large quantities before. Lazarus, for example, was known for cultivating cannabis until 2014, when a severe police action banned him.
At least until 2014 there were large quantities of cannabis planted in Lazarus and other areas as well. I have been in Albania and have spoken with the authorities, including those of the police, and have yet to understand the dynamics of how cultivation happened and have not yet read a study, academic writing, or explanation of what happened in Albania with cultivation in the mountains.

How problematic has Albania become in Europe with cannabis cultivation, since you mentioned that there are still seizures in the borders with Albania?

The problem has become, especially for two neighbouring countries, Italy and Greece. We have reports that the cannabis produced in Albania is trafficked to these two countries and sold on the street.
In addition, some countries in Eastern and Western Europe, for example, Austria, report that part of the cannabis they find on their markets comes from Albania. So Albania has become a supplier of Europe, and that's why we've mentioned it in the report, as many countries have reported it to us.
However, we think that most cannabis consumed in the European Union is produced within the EU, and Albania is not part of the EU.

One fact, that people who do not deal with cannabis do not know or take into consideration is that the cannabis produced in fields outside Albania is very likely to be much less powerful than the cannabis produced in closed spaces within the European Union.
We think most states are supplied with strong cannabis, as we each year receive information that its quality and cleanliness increases. We do not have the average purity for Albanian cannabis, but normally the cannabis that is cultivated in the fields abroad is much less powerful than the one produced in the EU, because in cultivation abroad you cannot control production conditions.

So it's not of a good quality?

Exactly if we were to say so. So there's a mystery why European consumers would buy the Albanian cannabis if it's not strong. There is a hypothesis, found in our reports, that the soft Albanian cannabis is bought to mix with the strong one produced in the EU and sold as a strong cannabis at high prices, bringing in huge profits to distributors after selling a power product, which say it is high, when it is actually lower.

Another issue with cannabis in Albania is cannabis oil production. Cannabis oil has not been seized in Albania, but there have been reports of its capture in Greece and Turkey, and we think that this oil is from Albania, produced by Albanian cannabis. A liter of cannabis oil requires large quantities of cannabis, 10 or 12 pounds [10 or 12 kg] - oil is a highly concentrated product.

This is also a way to export it easier. You can have a room with cannabis and turn it into oil and transport it more easily. This is an issue we're trying to get more information about, because we have very little at the moment. We know we have cases of his capture in Greece and Turkey. Greeks say it comes from Albania, while Turks do not specify where cannabis oil comes from, but we doubt it comes from Albania and maybe Albanian traffickers exchange it for heroin. So Albanian criminals sell cannabis oil and exchange it for heroin, I don't know how to say exchange rates.

Where is this cannabis oil produced?

I can't say. As I mentioned, I have little information about Albania, I don't speak Albanian, I was in Albania for the first time a few months ago. I work here in Lisbon.

We, in fact, requested the interview because we wanted to have an idea of how Europe views Albania...

Europe recognises Albania in general for the cannabis issue years ago, since it was cultivated in Lazarat. There has been information about people who speak Albanian who trafficked heroin mainly to - Switzerland, but it was about Kosovo Albanians. They were huge suppliers of heroin in Switzerland, who bought it from the Turks so there were links between Albanians and Turks for a long time.

Currently there are reports by French police that people who speak Albanian, I don't know if they are from Albania, Kosovo or Macedonia - trafficking heroin and have become important actors in retail trafficking in eastern France. In a way, they have managed to take the place of those who spread heroin before.

There is confusion in European authorities for Albanians, if they are Albanians from Albania, from Kosovo or Macedonia, and that concerns Albanian authorities as they say they have nothing to do with someone who is not of Albanian nationality.
So there was the issue of heroin trafficking in Switzerland, by citizens from Kosovo, we already have data on distribution in France, by people reporting as Albanians.

British police are very concerned by cocaine trafficking in the United Kingdom by Albanians, and they say they are Albanians from Albania and are part of organised crime. Albanians are known for trafficking and exploitation of prostitution, this is the case in France and they have a reputation, which is very violent.
From what I've been told, Albanians have a reputation that is also reliable. If they say I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna bring in a lot of narcotics, they do that.

In Albania, this is the custom of trust, speech giving...

And in Europe, other traffickers like it. Colleagues in Britain say Albanians are already taking the lead in the cocaine market and distribution at the medium level. So I tell you exactly what I've heard.

But I would like to stress that there are two elements, on the one hand what is happening in Albania with the production of cannabis in the country until recently and on the other, what Albanians are doing outside, often confused whether they are of Albania, Kosovo or Macedonia, and often referred to as Albanians for Europeans. Albanians abroad are now on my mind, a bigger threat, as they seem to be involved in the biggest drug markets.
There are Albanians who recruit Vietnamese, who are experts at producing cannabis within closed spaces, who produce strong cannabis within a small area. That happens in Holland.

The biggest question is, since I have knowledge, although I stress that I am not an expert in Albania and I hope that this is clear, how Albanian criminals working outside Albania interact with those in Albania. Are they, as police officers believe in some European countries, linked to crime bosses, who are in Albania and apparently protected and nothing finds them there and they organise operations and take money from operations conducted abroad, such as trafficking cocaine and heroin?
This is an important factor. This is something European law enforcement officers are generally more concerned about than cultivating cannabis within Albania.

This is in the police's view of law enforcement. Politically, it is different, as Albania will enter negotiations to join the EU, so sooner or later it will enter the EU. As a result, there will be more political considerations in the game and influence one way or another. There may be more denouncing of Albania's criminal activity by those who do not want it to enter the EU and more actions by those who want Albania to enter the EU and who want to show that Albania, in fact, is solving its problems with criminality.
Perhaps catching 613 pounds of cocaine that happened miraculously in Albania recently could be interpreted as such, perhaps not. The problem, when caught, is that we don't know how much has passed.

Getting cocaine at European ports is not unusual, or something extraordinary, although it was the first time that such a large amount was caught in Albania. But who knows he hasn't been caught before? Large quantities have been seized in your neighbouring state Greece, because they also have large ports, not to talk about Italy where they are constantly caught, Holland, France, everywhere cocaine is seized.

Crime Links and Protection

The biggest question is how Albanian criminals, operating outside Albania, interact with those in Albania. Are they, as police officers believe in some European countries, linked to crime bosses, who are in Albania and apparently protected and nothing finds them there and they organise operations and take money from operations conducted abroad, such as trafficking cocaine and heroin?

The worry was that the cannabis would be passed on to cocaine...

That's possible. It is also possible, something that has not been commented much within Albania, but insists again that concern of law enforcement forces in Europe are people who speak Albanian, active outside Albania in the EU, who trafficking cocaine and heroin, prostitution and weapons in the European Union.

Are these related to Albania?

That's what I'm saying, that's the big question, I don't have this information, but honestly I wouldn't be surprised if they did.
Because Kosovo Albanians, who were trafficking cocaine in Switzerland, and this is for me the historical example of 15 years, trafficking heroin in Switzerland and building houses in Kosovo, which looked like you were in Switzerland, because of the model that was built.
I would not be surprised if Albania Albanians, who are involved in EU trafficking activity also send their money to Albania, or send it to fiscal paradise, or launder their money.

What is certain is that Albanians, when I say Albanians do not specifically know whether they are Albanians of Albania or Kosovo, are involved in bringing cocaine directly from South America, which is another step in trade. The majority import of cocaine is where it gets the most. So if you're able to buy in Colombia at 2-3 grand a pound and sell it in Rotterdam at 12,000 euros a kilo, the profit rate is too high. There is also profit when it is sold on the market within Europe, but the profit rate is low.

I have information for Albanians who trafficking cocaine and heroin in Europe, that's for sure. That's a big problem, because that's a change going on in Europe. In Britain, earlier, distribution was done by Britons and other nationalities and were not Albanians significant players. Now they are.

Albanians <x0) Europe

I have information for Albanians who trafficking cocaine and heroin in Europe, that's for sure. That's a big problem, because that's a change going on in Europe. In Britain, earlier, distribution was done by Britons and other nationalities and were not Albanians significant players. Now they are.

Why are important players now?

Because they're efficient. They're not kidding, they're good with resources, they're able to bring cocaine to Europe without getting caught and they give up, they do what they promise and everybody wants to do business with them. You would like to do business with someone who is trustworthy and apparently Albanians are trustworthy.

Direct Traffic

It is certain that Albanians, when I say Albanians, do not specifically know whether they are Albanians of Albania or Kosovo, are involved in bringing cocaine directly from South America, which is another step in trade.

So Albanians are getting stronger and buying live in South America?

Yeah. But what I keep insisting on is that what happens in Albania is one thing and what happens to Albanians outside Albania is another thing, which is worth considering. Because these activities can potentially generate the flow of dirty money, which can enter Albania, which can distort the economy in Albania.

In any case, they empower people who are not many Democrats, you see criminals don't care about the laws on people's lives and are not the kind of citizens you want to have. These people seem to be becoming more active and powerful in European drug markets.

How do you assess the recent cocaine seizure at Durres Port?

A total of 613 pounds [613 kg] were seized in Albania, but not much. It's big, but not massive. Large amounts are called when they are over two or three tons. What I have to say is that the phenomenon of direct importation for distribution into the EU is much more disturbing. This phenomenon is more important and much larger in the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Spain.

At the moment, given what we know about organised crime in Albania and Albanians outside Albania, it is disturbing and in some ways dangerous that Albania can become a hub for cocaine in Europe, but there are many major distribution points within the EU, which European authorities are trying to fight. Big catch almost every day. In Belgium, for example, only one port in Antwerp was seized last year by 20 tons of cocaine. So Durres, at 613 pounds, is not that large.

Belgium and the Netherlands have the advantage of the two largest ports in Europe, Rotterdam and Antwerp (show the map), where there are numerous channels and many moving boats. If you go there, officers explain that the cocaine you arrive at Rotterdam serves to supply all of Western Europe, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Albania supplies Italy, Greece, other non-EU states, with cocaine consumption. Drug trafficking occurs in many ports in Europe, where there are containers, here in Lisbon for example, happens in Barcelona, France, and another added to the list is Durres.

From some indirect indicators, we see a lot of money entering Albania, which is affecting the real estate market...

It is a typical effect of dirty drug money, distorting the economy, especially with prices of real estate. That was a lot in Colombia. Some part of Spain's construction industry developed in this way, since there was a lot of money in the drug industry. In a way, this may be an indication that Albanian traffickers within Albania are making a lot of money and investing this money and that Albanians operating abroad are sending the money there and buying in Albania.

There are estimates of international institutions that Albania is becoming Europe's Colombia. How do you appreciate it?

I haven't read these reports. My opinion, is that Albania is better than 20 years ago, when pyramid schemes occurred there and when many Albanians left massively abroad. It's stable now, although there are criminals. Is Colombia Europe? I don't know. I've been to Albania and it's much safer than Colombia and Mexico and I'm an expert in Mexico.

It is difficult to compare with others, but in view of the country's history of dictatorship, it has been poor, that laws do not apply, is not surprising to criminal activity. On the other hand, if you enter the EU, there will be stronger law enforcement. I know that there are now efforts in Albania to implement the vetoing process for judges and prosecutors to punish corruption.

This will help strengthen the state and that people trust the state and obey the laws. EU accession will not be miraculous, but will gradually affect strengthening institutions. So there's perspective, besides crime.
The problem with crime is that people who deal with it don't want to give up because they get a lot. But the closer you get to Europe, the less chance you'll be ruled by the mafia.

Yeah, but the problem is that Mafia money can be invested in Albania and we're seeing a lot of developments recently, so there's some kind of concern in the country...

I understand that. Even I, if I were Albanian, would be very concerned. This is not exactly a recommendation, but there must be more co-operation and trust between authorities in Albania and authorities in the European Union to fight crime within Albania and Albanian crime outside Albania.

Why, do not Albanians co-operate, or does Europe not co-operate?

Europeans are afraid that, if they send accurate information, it will be used to warn criminals. Albanians say, well you don't send us information. For European authorities, it is very difficult to track Albanians because of the language and perhaps they do not find the right information to send to authorities.

But again, if Albania is to open negotiations, as is now under discussion, we can be sure there will be programmes from Europe that will build bridges among people, work together and resolve issues face to face. Clearly, this is the bet the European Union is setting for Albania. Let them enter, make programmes, take advantage of funds, and make them adjust European standards in everything.

A recent question, it seems that internationals have not been too harsh with Albania, because it was primarily about cannabis, which is in the process of legalisation in many countries?

I was telling you that cannabis in Albania is a problem, but for Europe not so much, because it doesn't enter heavy drugs, and just like you said it's a legalisation process. Cannabis in Europe has not been a priority until this year, when it has become a priority, because it generates money for criminals who then invest this money and distorts the economy, distorts society, corrupts local officials, the private sector, etc.

So, now, cannabis is still a priority. But, on the other hand, you can see that there is a movement towards liberalisation, derimination.
That's what I'm saying, and it's the last time I repeat it in this interview, that the problem for Europe is not so much cannabis in Albania, but Albanians who trafficking heroin, cocaine and whatever else they can put their hands on outside Albania. That is what worries the European authorities most.

Cannabis Returns as a Priority

Cannabis in Europe has not been a priority until this year, when it has become a priority, because it generates money for criminals who then invest this money and distorts the economy, distorts society, corrupts local officials, the private sector, etc.

But now it's a risk that the money earned by cannabis is invested in buying heroin, cocaine in South America, bringing it to Albania and using it as a distribution center in Europe, as the latest case showed...

Perhaps some of this money is invested in doing these things. Even money generated outside Albania can be used to buy cocaine. That's what criminals do, take the money and invest it to make more money.

Can they use Albania as the basis for cocaine trafficking?

That could happen. I think it's already the case, there's probably a cocaine storage site in Albania. Yes, from what we see, for Europe I don't see Albania still being a major distribution centre for cocaine.

But I see there are large ports of cocaine import in Europe that are not in Albania, and there are Albanians, who are not alone, who are becoming increasingly important in cocaine trading, at the high level of cocaine trading in the EU. If that means they will use Albania later as a platform for Albania, maybe, why not.

That would make sense, they're from Albania, they speak language, etc. If they are allowed to do so, in a country of 2.8 million people, where police are mobilized and trained to fight organised crime, that is also part of the question. Because this will happen in Albania, with negotiations on entering Europe, training, technology, vetoing process within Albania.
Despite this, some people may be able to carry out criminal activities, since even in countries with very good control systems, criminals are unable to stop.

However, Albania is already a country where there is great cannabis cultivation, there are people who can import 613kg of cocaine, there are criminals who are likely to send their money there. The whole of Europe is saying that Albania is an organised crime country. And that's also not what Albanian authorities deny.
However, dynamics are for less organised crime, given the integration process. If Albania were to be abandoned, then you would have to worry seriously. Now you might be worried, but maybe less.