Drug traffic remains in the police focus

TIRANA, Dec. 10 – Despite good results in the fight against drug traffic, it still remains one of the main daily agenda topics for the country’s law enforcement authorities.
That is shown every day with the news of stopping the drug traffic out of the country.
During the last week one learns that a joint operation between Macedonian and Serbian police resulted in seizing some 152 kg of marijuana coming from Albania and aimed for the Western European market. The drug was seized in a Mercedes van on the road between Struga and Ohrid. Three Albanians, one of whom from Macedonia, were arrested and a warrant for the arrest of a fourth member of the drug-traffic network, who is a Serbian citizen, currently at large, was issued.
In another case in Albania police stopped at the Durres port 250 kilograms of cannabis sativa with a truck coming from northwestern Shkoder area and arrested the driver.
There are no official total figures on the amount of drug seized in the country this year. But collection of separate amounts may take it up to 12 tons.
Most of that comes from the Lazarat commune in the south of from the Shkoder area.
Police and authorities have made some attempts to cut the cannabis plants in these areas. But in fact they have shown they are powerless and, like the case of Lazarat, they cannot physically enter the village area.
Fighting drugs is a big issue for the country and one which it should show to Europe it can deal with if it wants to enter the bloc.