Albania

FEATURE: With both Europol and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime highlighting the threats posed by Eastern European and Balkans organised crime groups (OCGs) expanding further across the continent, Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth looks at the efforts of the EU (through CEPOL), Europol, and international collaborations involving the UK’s National Crime Agency amongst others, to tackle these ‘High-Risk Criminal Networks’.

FEATURE: With the ever-increasing demand for cocaine in Europe, and the relative success of enforcement efforts on the more direct Latin America to Europe drug trafficking routes, a new report from the Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crime highlights the growing involvement of Balkans drug gangs (particularly from Albania and Montenegro) in West Africa as “a critical logistical, storage and redistribution hub” for cocaine shipments into Europe, as Policing Insight’s Chris Allen reports.

FEATURE: Environmental crimes such as large-scale dumping, illegal waste sites, and illegal export of waste have become one of the fastest growth areas for organised crime groups; Policing Insight’s Andrew Staniforth explores the scale of the problem, and efforts by countries across Europe to tackle the threat using the latest technologies including artificial intelligence.

FEATURE: The latest report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and Europol on the global cocaine trade highlights the significant surge in both supply and profits, along with a concerning increase in violence; Policing Insight’s Chris Allen looks at the latest trends highlighted by the research, and the implications for efforts to tackle the global drugs market going forwards.

ANALYSIS: Media reports suggest a surge in 'Albanian mafia' involvement in drug trafficking and organised crime. However, Anna Sergi of the University of Essex warns that this misrepresents the role of Albanian offenders and networks, and damages our understanding of the complexities of organised crime, and the global Albanian diaspora.