Greece (Brussels Morning) In a period of international politics, security and humanitarian crisis, various organized crime networks are using the security gaps to benefit and make a profit from illegal activities. In this particular case, drugs, negatively affect the entire Eastern Mediterranean, Turkey and by extension Albania in cooperation.
Criminal networks are the primary illegal users of ports in the Balkans for the trafficking of cocaine, amphetamines, and heroin. Tackling them requires greater international police cooperation. Rotterdam, Antwerp, Hamburg… These are the ports that usually spring to mind when it comes to the trade in illicit drugs. More recently, however, other ports have also been attracting traffickers.
The Albanian mafia is known worldwide and has managed to influence the markets of Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. Its influence is so high that from time to time the names of Ministers of the Albanian government, officials of international organizations, even the brother of the Prime Minister, Edi Rama, Olsi Rama, are published.
It takes two to tango
Turkey is among several European countries that have been overwhelmed by a surge in cocaine trafficking. The nation has faced a long-standing challenge with drug smuggling, and the abundant supply of cocaine has fueled high demand in Western Europe while also opening new markets in the Balkans, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. The capture of multiple drug lords follows accusations and scandals related to corruption within the government.
Turkish heroin made its way to South America, while Colombian cocaine was smuggled into Europe. Although it’s unclear exactly how the original Turkish criminals sold the cocaine, Turkish gangs, present in many major European cities, likely facilitated its distribution. Unlike the Italian mafias with deep-rooted local connections, the Turks had an advantage with their strong maritime transport system, allowing them to smuggle cocaine to Europe without relying on third parties.
In 2018, Venezuelan authorities dismantled a drug trafficking network operating through the country’s main airport, which was smuggling drugs to Turkey, Lebanon, and France, and arrested a key leader of Turkish-Venezuelan descent. In June 2021, Turkey made its largest-ever domestic cocaine bust, seizing 1.3 tons at Mersin port, followed by an additional 463 kilograms the next week. In May 2021, 600 kilograms of cocaine en route to Mersin were intercepted in Panama, and just a few months prior, Spanish authorities had seized around three tons from a Turkish-crewed ship.
In August 2021, Brazilian authorities discovered 1.3 tons of cocaine on a Turkish-registered private jet. In 2022, shipments of cocaine destined for Turkey were seized in Ecuador, West Africa, Malta, and Turkey itself.
Albanian drug gangs
The peculiarity of Albanian organized crime is that each region, each family, undertakes a different market, has a specific audience and intends to spread in the country that is active, without getting involved, most of the time in the work of other organizations, in a copy of the Italian mafia organization system.
The country is said to be part of the “Balkan route” for heroin trafficking. This route starts in Afghanistan, passes through Iran and Turkey, and continues across the Balkan countries to Western and Central Europe. Kosovo and Albania play a key role as transit hubs along this route. Albanian mafia groups are also heavily involved in smuggling cocaine from South America to Europe, primarily through ports like Antwerp, Rotterdam, and Hamburg. These operations often involve routes through West Africa, Spain, and Greece.
Italian and Albanian authorities have taken decisive action against a major drug trafficking network operating from both countries, but it is not enough. Edi Rama has defended his efforts to root out gangs:
“Fighting crime and trafficking has been a priority for this government,”
but when so many political figures in his government have been targeted, the questions are how high the corruption goes and how ineffective the policy is.
In an international scale, the US Department of Justice charged former FBI counterintelligence chief Charles McGonigal with violating US sanctions and engaging in money laundering by working with Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska.
Another indictment highlights McGonigal’s undisclosed connections with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, accusing him of performing paid services for Albania. McGonigal allegedly received at least $225,000 from an Albanian intelligence officer and passed information from Rama’s office to US authorities, leading to an investigation into a US-based lobbyist working for Albania’s opposition party.
All of the above proves that anyone who wants to “invest” in drugs, the area is ideal. Greece follows, in a separate article.
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