Albania: Drug Destructions Could Mark the Fall of ‘Cannabis Kingdom’

News

Nearly all the cannabis plants being grown in Albania have now been destroyed, officials said Wednesday.

Related Articles

Calls for Anti-Corruption in Ukraine’s Post-War Rebuild
As Ukraine looks toward recovery from the ongoing conflict, international partners and reform advocates call for embedding anti-corruption measures in post-war restoration efforts.
Mining Crimes Pose a Challenge for Law Enforcement, Experts Say
A recent report found that only one in three of environmental crime cases in the Amazon produced a parallel financial crime investigation from authorities.
Kyrgyz Elite Targeted as Japarov Allies Gain Key Assets
After the killing of crime boss Kamchy Kolbaev, Kyrgyz authorities have intensified their crackdown on prominent business figures suspected of financing organized crime. But is it justice—or something else?
Calls for Anti-Corruption in Ukraine’s Post-War Rebuild
As Ukraine looks toward recovery from the ongoing conflict, international partners and reform advocates call for embedding anti-corruption measures in post-war restoration efforts.
Mining Crimes Pose a Challenge for Law Enforcement, Experts Say
A recent report found that only one in three of environmental crime cases in the Amazon produced a parallel financial crime investigation from authorities.
Kyrgyz Elite Targeted as Japarov Allies Gain Key Assets
After the killing of crime boss Kamchy Kolbaev, Kyrgyz authorities have intensified their crackdown on prominent business figures suspected of financing organized crime. But is it justice—or something else?
September 18th, 2015
Drugs Police

Albania began a crackdown last year on cultivation of marijuana, which had proliferated in the Balkan country to the point that some called it the ‘Cannabis Kingdom’.

Last year police destroyed 550,000 marijuana plants and 102 tons of marijuana with an estimated market value of € 7 billion (US$ 8.5 billion), according to Associated Press – more than two thirds of the country’s GDP.

According to Interior Minister Saimir Tahiri, 99.2 percent of the cannabis plants identified using satellite images this year – 690,000 specimens across 109 acres – have also been destroyed.

Albanian authorities have struggled in the past to control prolific production of marijuana within its borders.

When police launched a raid last year in the southern village of Lazarat – famous for its cannabis cultivation – they were greeted with automatic weapons and rocket fire from the drug farmers.

In June this year, a police officer was shot dead in Lazarat in another raid.

Since the Lazarat raids began, drug growers have reportedly moved to the mountains to continue production, far from the prying eyes of the authorities.

They are using planes to transport the narcotics internationally, said Tahiri.

United States officials have commended Albanian police and offered their support.

Washington nominated an FBI agent and a prosecutor to assist local police in their efforts, according to Foreign Policy.

According to Prime Minister Edi Rama, drug organizations have lost billions of euros since the operation began in 2014.

Related Reporting