Albania is a cannabis source country and a local base for organized crime groups moving illicit drugs from their countries of origin to European markets.

This is the assessment of the US Department of State's Annual Report on the International Narcotics Trafficking Control Strategy, which also includes another chapter on money laundering, according to which “Albania remains vulnerable to Money Laundering due to corruption, the presence of organized crime networks and gaps in legislation and oversight ”.

Situation of narcotics' trafficking

According to the report, "Albanian cannabis is sent to Turkey and exchanged for heroin and cocaine, which are smuggled across Europe by Albanian national traffickers", who are estimated to "play a major role in international narcotics trafficking and organized crime networks." Albania is considered "a key element of the Balkan route of drug trafficking in Western Europe and the United Kingdom", while it is noted that Albanian organized crime groups are present in the United States, Great Britain and in all over Europe, as well as in South America, including Ecuador, Colombia and Peru. Albanian groups are estimated to have extended their presence in all links of traffic from purchasing, transportation, distribution to the sales chain in Europe, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The report states that "Albanian authorities recorded an increase in cocaine seizures in the Port of Durres in 2021, mainly in banana shipments from Ecuador" and that "Albanian law enforcement forces participated in several law enforcement operations in many countries in in 2021, with Albanian citizens arrested, among others, in Greece, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands ”. The report also mentions the cooperation with American counterparts for the arrest and seizure of narcotics shipments and drug processing laboratories in Albania, or the seizure of assets in Albania, related to international international drug trafficking.

The Special Prosecution Office against Corruption and Organized Crime, SPAK, is estimated to have “registered some successes in 2021, including the arrest of 38 people, including a prosecutor and several senior police officers, as part of a major international investigation into narcotics trafficking ”.

According to the report, "relatively weak rule of law, corruption and high unemployment are the main drivers" of the drug phenomenon in Albania. "Violent crime in Albania is often linked to organized crime and judges, prosecutors, police and journalists have been subject to threats."

The report notes that “Albanian organized crime groups continue to launder revenue in Albania and contribute to corruption in the country. "Albania must continue its efforts for justice reform, strengthen anti-money laundering regulations and oversight, and work to erode the impact of organized crime throughout governance and society."

Money laundering

"While the Government has made progress towards preventing money laundering during 2021, much more remains to be done," the report states in a chapter dedicated to this phenomenon.

Narcotics trafficking and other organized crime activities, including trafficking in human beings, or tax evasion and smuggling are considered to be "the main sources of laundered funds". While the geographical position of Albania and the presence of Albanian networks in organized crime in Western Europe and South America "make it even weaker."

Albania, according to the report, "remains vulnerable to money laundering due to corruption, the presence of organized crime networks and gaps in legislation and oversight", while emphasizing that the country "has a large cash economy and an informal sector, with significant remittances and foreign investment inflows ”.

The construction sector, real estate and enterprise involvement are, according to the report, among the most common methods of laundering illicit proceeds. "While most gambling establishments were closed and outlawed in 2019, the legislation still allows casino gambling in five-star hotels. "Online bets, although illegal, still occur through platforms located outside Albania."

Albania, the report explains, continues to use its anti-mafia law to seize companies linked to drug trafficking and corruption. Ongoing judicial reforms have improved Albania's prospects for tackling money laundering.

However, these efforts are still hampered by capacity challenges, insufficient oversight of certain sectors, and the need to improve cooperation between law enforcement and oversight bodies.

The report notes some changes in the legislative framework aimed at preventing money laundering, but "the implementation of recent legal and policy changes has been inconsistent." The report notes that the legislation in force "is effective in the initial seizure of property", but "meeting the requirements of the evidence for the final sequestration of property remains challenging".

The report states that “Albania needs to effectively enforce existing laws, exercise effective oversight functions, improve oversight and law enforcement cooperation, and continue to develop the capacity of its police and prosecutors to focus on corruption, money laundering, and economic crimes. Implementing substantial penal code reforms in 2016 and 2017 is still a challenge. "Despite a significant number of money laundering investigations in recent years, the number of related prosecutions remains low."

The report notes that in the first nine months of 2021, there were 32 individual convictions for money laundering, and that the State Police referred 318 cases of money laundering to prosecutors in the first nine months of 2021. In the first nine months As of the first year of 2021, 1135 persons have been prosecuted for corruption, an increase of 37 percent compared to the same period of 2020. The Agency for the Administration of Seized and Confiscated Assets recorded $ 19.7 million in money and property seized in six the first months of 2021, an increase from the same period a year earlier. The report also mentions the seizure by SPAK of "millions of dollars in assets, including real estate, corporate shares and two television channels, by Ylli Ndroqi, a businessman accused of unfounded assets and links to drug trafficking."

(Source: VOA)