Author: Denis Tahiri
In the corner of a building in one of the most popular areas of Tirana, you always see a guy around 25. Leaning against the wall of the multi-story building, the only thing that impresses you is the fact that he stays there for hours during the evenings. The young man's name is Reni (name changed) and he is one of the cannabis distributors in the capital. He tells "Sinjalizo" that " this was the only opportunity for him to provide bread for his family."
"I know all my clients, I never sell to people I don't know, and that gives me confidence," he says. He left high school without finishing it, even though his grades were good. " I was a good student, not an excellent one, but in the 8th grade. I could have continued high school, today I would probably be working in my profession and not selling weed on this corner. But those were the opportunities," he adds, refusing to talk about how he supplies himself with cannabis. Although he has been distributing narcotics for some time, the young man says he has never been accompanied by the police, and this increases his hopes that once he collects enough money, he will have the opportunity to leave Albania to restart his life somewhere in Europe.
Tirana, the capital of narcotics consumption
But Reni is only one among hundreds of young people who secure their income with this job. Asked officially what are the types of narcotic substances most used in Albania, the State Police informs that the most used narcotic substance is marijuana, followed by cocaine and heroin.
The high figures of activity in the field of drugs are also highlighted in a report by the Fol Center , where in just 6 months, 640 people have been processed in the Tirana district, with 191 of them being arrested in flagrante delicto by the Tirana police. The monitoring of the FOL Center confirms that the phenomenon of hashish use has decreased among young people.
" Out of 640 criminally prosecuted cases, it results that 19 cases or about 3% have been investigated, prosecuted and judged by the Special Structure against Corruption and Organized Crime. In 327 cases or 51%, the prosecuting body has concluded the preliminary investigation phase by taking a decision not to initiate criminal proceedings, while a decision to dismiss the case or charge has been issued in only 2 cases ," the report further states, which highlights the alarming figures.
But cannabis is not the only drug that has many users. The study of the FOL center observes mass associations of cocaine users who are detected by routine checks in the premises, or driving around and have hidden doses. On the other hand, heroin is another narcotic which causes strong addiction. About 240 heroin users receive Services at the "Aksion Plus" rehabilitation center in the capital.
In 10 years, hundreds of tons of cannabis have been seized, but the battle continues
306.168 kilograms of cannabis have been seized by Albanian law enforcement agencies on its territory from 2010 to September 30, 2021. In other words, 306.168 tons have been seized in the last decade. Meanwhile, on the other hand, the State Police has destroyed 4,466,719 cannabis sativa plants in the last ten years, which were discovered in various plots in the country. In an official response, the State Police states that " From 2010 to 2017, the areas in which there was a greater concentration of cultivation were the regions: Gjirokastër, Vlorë, Shkodër, Durrës and Lezhë. After 2017 and until now, there are no specific areas where the cultivation of narcotic plants has been concentrated," says the State Police, adding that after 2017 there is much better control of the territory.
But this contradicts the report of the Guardia di Finanza. In their report, the Italian representatives explained that the cultivation of cannabis sativa had moved from the south to the central and northern areas of the country. Likewise, a senior official of the State Police, who does not want to be identified, told "Sinjalizo" that the cultivation of cannabis is mainly concentrated in Central and Northern Albania. He also said that cultivation has also become sophisticated, where plantation owners choose technology to ensure its preservation, avoiding the employment of people from whom information may also flow.
" The types of plants used are of three main types. In the actions developed, we have identified 6-month plants, which have a large production and grow as tall as a plant. Then there is the plant that has a three-month cycle. Shorter and with a smaller production. 45-day plants have also been identified, but they are not very preferred because they have a small production", added, among other things, the source of "SINJALIZO".
It is officially accepted, referring to numerous actions, that the cultivation of cannabis with lamps has also started, raising the concern that this type of cultivation can quickly turn into something disturbing for the law enforcement, as it can be carried out even in areas where the police presence is almost non-existent due to geographical distance and other factors.
National Security expert and professor at the Canadian Institute of Technology, Fabian Zhilla, says that this way of growing cannabis is a new trend that has also started in Albania, where fast-growing Dutch seeds are used.
" Of course, the blow that happened with Lazarat brought a resizing of the market, there was a decline, but it was resizing and other techniques were found. Powerful Albanian groups began to grow it themselves in Benelux and England. Now it has started here too, this shows that the trafficking lines have been opened. We cannot say that they have been at the levels they were since there has been a decrease, but we are seeing that gradually, since today there is a distribution in the territory", says Zhilla.
Cocaine, ecstasy…
Cocaine, heroin, methadone, marijuana, ecstasy, ketamine, diazepan, methamphetamine, hash oil, are all narcotics that exist in the inventory of narcotics seized by the State Police in the last 10 years, which shows that already in Albania there is a market not only for cocaine, heroin and cannabis, but also for other types of drugs.
Only during the last three years, about 1.5 tons of cocaine was seized in the port of Durrës, which, if it were to come to the market, would capture a figure greater than 400 million euros. The capture of such numbers of cocaine in the Albanian territory, for experts in the field, shows that our country has already turned into a main transit country.
" The significant amounts of hard drugs and the murders that occur in Ecuador show that Albanian groups are high-level players, they are not the main ones since they cannot be compared to the Ndragetta and such, but they have already entered the majority market and of course one of the lines is Albania but it is not the only one ", says Fabian Zhilla, adding that for hard drugs, Albania is one of the transit points. " It is a transit point commanded by Albanians, since before they were the hosts, while now they take it from Ecuador, from Peru they bring it here themselves and distribute it. So they control the whole process" , he says.
Albanian drug trafficking groups have already become a problem for international law enforcement agencies.
" First of all, the strikes are being carried out by international law enforcement agencies, since the problem of Albanians is an international problem, they are not just an Albanian problem, in fact many of the groups that operate are not known at all by Albanian agencies, or are not a problem for us. The fact that they have become a problem for international agencies also forces our agencies to cooperate and the information comes from them as they track it from Ecuador to the EU ports, Antempi which is the main one and the ports of Germany ", says Zhilla, adding that Albania has its positive elements. But it must be admitted that the possibilities of our agencies are not so simple since the narcotic substance does not generate from us. Here it simply comes packaged and if it has passed the controls of European ports, in Albania, of course the control in terms of technology and quality is lower.
