In the last report published by the global office of the United Nations, on crime and drugs, Albania is ranked amongst the main countries contributing to cannabis production and distribution in Europe, and 6th in the world during the period from 2015 to 2019.
In the report, Albania is mentioned after Morocco, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Lebanon and Iran, whereas in Europe, we come first, overtaking Spain and the Netherlands.
In recent years, – states the report – there’s been a noticeable diversification in the criminal actors involved in the management of the ‘supply chain’ of cocaine, amongst countries in South America and Europe.
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In the past, this illegal trade used to be dominated by a small number of actors and channels positioned well and led mainly by Italian organized crime gangs and alliances between Colombian and Spanish groups.
For years, the Netherlands has been an important center for many criminal organizations. However, recently, a number of other European groups have come to the scene, becoming important actors in the distribution of considerable amounts of cocaine in Europe, while also establishing their presence and forming new contacts in Latin America.
Some of the emerging networks, – highlights the report – especially Albanian ones, are also involved in the distribution of cocaine in all of Europe and within some European countries, which makes it possible for them to implement an “end to end” business model.
The groups made up of Serbo-Croatians, mainly citizens from Bosnia Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia have also become prominent players in the procurement of large quantities of cocaine as well as their transportation, distribution and sale in the European market.
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