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| Cannabis Hous in Barcelona (May, 2021) |
Criminal networks in the Western Balkans seem to have adapted a new business model focused primarily on cultivating cannabis in indoor environments in the European Union. This is stated in a report published by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) and Europol.
According to the report "EU Drug Markets, Cannabis," based on data from several joint international investigations, Albanian and Serbian networks, in particular, appear to be involved in the widespread cultivation of cannabis in the European Union, especially in Spain.
The report mentions several cases of crackdowns on criminal networks, including Albanian ones, involved in indoor cannabis cultivation.
"In July 2021, a criminal network led by an Albanian clan was dismantled in northeast Spain, managing several indoor cannabis plantations. A total of 107 individuals, including Albanian, Spanish, Slovak, and Greek citizens, were arrested. Fifty-one cannabis farms were dismantled, and 25,000 cannabis plants were seized. Europol estimated that more than 1.6 million euros worth of electricity had been stolen for cannabis cultivation," the report states.
According to the Europol and European Monitoring Centre for Drugs report, Spain is not the only EU member state where Western Balkan networks engage in cannabis cultivation.
"For example, 60 members of an Albanian criminal network were arrested in April 2019 for managing at least a dozen cannabis plantations in Belgium and northern France."
The report also states that "Belgian, Dutch, and Albanian networks seem to be the main actors in cannabis cultivation in Belgium."
"Some factors are thought to have contributed to this, such as proximity to consumer markets, as well as the risks and costs associated with trafficking cannabis into the European Union from the Western Balkans," the report assesses.
"Criminal networks in the Western Balkans seem to be involved not only in the cultivation of cannabis within the European Union but also in the trafficking of cannabis cultivated in Western Balkan countries. Some of these networks may also be involved in bulk cocaine trafficking in Europe," the report says.
"Although the majority of herbal cannabis consumed in the EU is likely to be produced within the EU, the Western Balkans region appears to remain a significant source of herbal cannabis trafficked in the European market," it continues.
The Western Balkan countries are also significant suppliers of cannabis to other countries in the region and Turkey.
According to the EMCDDA and Europol report, "Albania was considered a significant source outside the EU for herbal cannabis destined for the European market before 2018, but since then neighboring countries such as Greece, Italy, and North Macedonia report considerable reductions in seized cannabis with Albanian origin."
"Although available information suggests an increase in production in other Western Balkan countries, no intensification of cross-border cannabis trafficking has been observed so far," the report notes.
Cannabis trafficked from the Western Balkans to the European Union seems to be transported primarily by land.
According to the report, "approximately 48% of herbal cannabis seized in Greece in 2020 was thought to be of Albanian origin, a decrease compared to previous years' figures (62% in 2018 and 71% in 2017)."
The trafficking of herbal cannabis towards Italy also seems to have decreased in recent years, as indicated by seizure data and the number of shipments crossing the Adriatic Sea, the report states.
However, according to the report, "maritime routes continue to be used, as evidenced by the recent seizure of 1 ton of herbal cannabis from a sailboat and speedboats on the shores of Vlora, Albania, in August 2022, suspected to be destined for sale in Italy."
The European anti-drug report estimates that various types of cannabis products may also be trafficked from the Western Balkans to EU countries.
The report mentions a case in February 2020 when Italian authorities seized 450 kilograms of herbal cannabis, 75 kilograms of resin cannabis, and 3.5 liters of cannabis oil in the same shipment from Albania.
In another case mentioned in the report, in April 2020, Italian law enforcement arrested two Italian citizens for smuggling around 646 kilograms of herbal cannabis and 250 kilograms of resin cannabis from Albania.
In a limited number of cases, cannabis trafficking from the Western Balkans seems to be carried out through small planes and unmanned aerial vehicles, the report states.