Police conduct areal surveillance in hunt for drugs

TIRANA, July 23 – Italian airplanes joined Albanian police authorities to check the areas that have planted cannabis sativa in the country.
That follows a recent police operation in southern Albanian commune of Lazarat where they cut thousands of plants.
This time Italy offered its specialized planes to monitor and film the areas. What shots showed afterwards it is very clear that the whole area in that commune was planted with cannabis. Besides other areas with cannabis were found in northern Albania in Vau i Dejes.
All that gave a clear view to the Albanian police authoritieswhere they have to focus the work to cut the planted cannabis.
Cannabis has turned Albania into a main source for that in the continent and has turned into a big problem for the authorities and the neighboring countries where it is transported.
In that context police reported that following a good cooperation with Italian and Greek counterparts a 12-meter speedboat with a considerable amount of cannabis was blocked while trying to get near the Albanian waters in southwestern area.
After it was followed by Albanian and Italian police forces the speedboat moved toward Greek waters where it was blocked near Cephalonia island there. Greek police also arrested the Greek owner of the boat and also sequestered about one ton of marijuana.
In southern Saranda district there was inaugurated the Border and Migration Police Commissariat being part of a 30 million euro assistance from the European Union to improve Albania’s border management. Albania has now 12 newly constructed border crossing points and 17 refurbished border police stations. The improved infrastructure is expected to facilitate the work of the Albanian authorities in fighting organized crime and illegal trafficking. The Albanian authorities have now substantially improved infrastructural conditions to focus on strengthening procedures for effective border control.
Border management is crucial to strengthening the rule of law, to fighting organized crime and illegal trafficking. The EU has offered great support to Albania in this process, through improving infrastructure as well as human resources and inter-institutional cooperation. Alongside the construction and refurbishment of border police stations, border crossing points, supply of high speed vessels, new radio equipment and tools, the EU has exposed the Albanian police to European best practices through its 7 million euro Police assistance project (PAMECA). While the third cycle of PAMECA ended in May this year, a fourth cycle is under preparation in order to continue working together with Albanian authorities to further align the working procedures of the Border and Migration Police to those of the EU, to improve intelligence work in border control, as well as inter-institutional and international cooperation.
All these show good cooperation between Albanian police and those of neighboring countries and more.
That has given good results in stopping or sequestering large amounts of cannabis that move out of the country.
What is needed now is to cut the desire to plant cannabis in this country and take it off the black maps of drugs in the continent.