Drug Trafficking between Albania and Italy has Tripled – says Italian Anti Mafia Chief

Tirana, Albania | Tirana Echo – The cultivation and trafficking of narcotics coming from Albania to Italy has tripled – says Italian Chief of the Anti Mafia Office Franco Roberti in a joint press conference in Tirana with Albania’s General Prosecutor Adriatik Llalla.

“Trafficking of narcotics has increased between Albania and Italy. Together with our Albanian colleagues we need to understand the motivation behind this traffic increase and at the same time what we should do to improve our strategies and cooperation. The quantity of drug cultivation in Albania has tripled” – said Roberti in Tirana.

The shocking statement of Italy’s top anti mafia director came one day after OSCE Ambassador to Albania Berndt Borchardt had stated that €2bn Euros of cannabis dirty money may be circulated to buy MPs ahead of Albania’s upcoming general elections of June 18.

However, in response to the Italian official, Albanian Minister of Interior Saimir Tahiri said this morning that the cannabis problem is an inherited issue from the past.

“We know the statistics very well when it comes to the quantities of cannabis from our country to Italy, as we work closely with the Italian ‘Guardia di Finanza’. However, the cannabis issue is an inherited problem and today’s number do not compare with those when the Democratic Party was in power” – said Tahiri.

Cannabis cultivation spread across Albania’s territory has alarmed neighboring countries which are used as transit routes to reach the wider European market, while analysts have warned of its negative effects inside Albania.

Italian Prosecutor Roberti added that the money made from cannabis trafficking may also be used to finance radical Islamic groups seeking to spread in the Balkans.

According to experts, the massive cultivation of cannabis sativa across Albania will have detrimental effects on the future of national agriculture production and will harm the economy of Albania, as this hugely profitable criminal activity has captured massive land parcels, lures local workforce and deregulated real estate and tourism sectors due to a rise in money laundering and tax evasion.

The concerns expressed by OSCE add to already expressed concerns by the opposition Democratic Party as well as the junior partner in the governing coalition LSI which have argued that extra measures have to be taken in order to guarantee the integrity of free and fair elections in June.

The European Union will keep a close eye on elections standards as well as on the implementation of justice reform before it decides to formally open accession talks with Albania on EU membership.