Summary highlights
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Balkan criminals involved in large-scale smuggling through Hamburg.
Criminal groups from the Western Balkans have emerged as key players in cocaine trafficking through the Port of Hamburg — Europe’s third-largest container hub. Both Albanian-speaking networks and Slavic-speaking groups now coordinate sophisticated smuggling operations from South America, with well-developed systems for extracting cocaine from containers and distributing it across Europe. Despite record seizures, these criminal networks demonstrate remarkable resilience and adaptability. Although German authorities have made strides in enhancing port security, significant gaps remain in addressing corruption and in developing effective coordination with Balkan law enforcement agencies.
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The internationalization of migrant smuggling through the Balkans.
The Western Balkan route has become a critical migration corridor into the European Union, with criminal networks developing sophisticated smuggling operations to facilitate movement along this route, largely from conflict zones. The smuggling landscape has become increasingly internationalized, involving diverse actors often drawn from migrant populations, including smugglers from Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Morocco, Algeria, Türkiye and the Netherlands collaborating across borders. Europol has established regional task forces and operational partnerships with countries along the route, but stronger measures are needed to disrupt the financial flows that sustain these networks, including improved tracing of smuggling profits and tightened regulations on informal payment systems.
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Seizing crime-related virtual assets remains a challenge in the Western Balkans.
The Western Balkans face significant challenges in tracing and seizing crime-linked cryptocurrencies, despite their growing use in legitimate and criminal activities. While Serbia and Albania have established regulatory frameworks, other countries in the region lag behind with weaker oversight. Notably, only three cryptocurrency seizures cases have been documented in the region to date. The lack of comprehensive regulations, limited technical expertise and insufficient cross-border cooperation are hindering effective law enforcement. To combat the vast crypto transactions flowing through the region, countries urgently need stronger legal frameworks, specialized training programmes, enhanced public–private partnerships with blockchain analytics firms, and improved regional cooperation mechanisms.
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High hopes: Albania’s path towards medical cannabis.
Albania is working towards legalizing medical cannabis cultivation through establishing regulatory frameworks and participation in international bodies. Despite the country’s troubled history with illegal cannabis production, the government has created the National Agency for Cannabis Control and implemented strict security measures for legal cultivation. However, concerns remain based on North Macedonia’s experience, where legally grown cannabis is being diverted to the black market and licensing procedures have faced allegations of corruption. Albania’s licensing process includes significant fees and background checks, but questions persist about corruption risks and in ensuring proper use of taxation revenues from the industry.
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Criminal plasticity: the growing threat of 3D-printed weapons in South Eastern Europe.
A dangerous new threat is emerging across South Eastern Europe as criminals and violent extremists begin to exploit 3D-printing technology to manufacture untraceable, fully functional firearms known as ‘ghost guns’. Although large-scale production has yet to take root in the Western Balkans, neighbouring Greece has already dismantled a sophisticated operation producing 3D-printed firearms, and similar semi-automatic weapons have appeared on Türkiye’s black market. These weapons — which can be produced by anyone with a 3D printer and internet access — effectively bypass traditional firearm controls and leverage the absence of serial numbers to slip beneath law enforcement detection. The Western Balkan region, with its legacy of conflict and established arms trafficking networks, provides fertile ground for this evolving threat.
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About this issue
This issue explores five critical developments in the landscape of organized crime in the Western Balkans, ranging from cocaine smuggling to the 3D printing of firearms.
We begin by looking at the strong presence of Balkan criminal groups in Germany, and their involvement in the large-scale smuggling of cocaine from Latin America through the Port of Hamburg. For a more comprehensive insight into the activities of criminal groups from the Western Balkans trafficking cocaine to ports in Western Europe, take a look at Fatjona Mejdini’s recently published report, ‘Cocaine connections’.
Migrant smuggling through the Western Balkans has been a significant concern since 2015, but it continues to develop in several ways. In this Risk Bulletin, we assess recent trends, including the notable increase in the engagement of smugglers from outside the region, including those drawn from migrant populations.
Echoing a global trend, criminals throughout the Western Balkans are increasingly using cryptocurrencies for illicit transactions. In this issue, we look at the substantial challenges this creates for law enforcement, including the difficulty of seizing crime-related virtual assets.
North Macedonia is one of several countries that have recently moved towards decriminalizing cannabis for medical and scientific purposes. More recently, neighbouring Albania, once considered a major source of illegally grown cannabis, has begun the process of establishing regulatory frameworks to legalize medical cannabis. We look at the possibilities and challenges, learning from some of the problems faced by North Macedonia.
Technological advancements continue to transform organized crime operations. One example is the use of 3D printers to manufacture fully functional firearms. These virtually untraceable ‘ghost guns’ present substantial obstacles for law enforcement efforts. The problem of 3D-printed weapons is spreading in South Eastern Europe. While large-scale production has yet to take root in the Western Balkans, the region is a vulnerable environment for this evolving threat.
If you would like to get in touch or if you have an idea for a story, please contact Vanja.Petrovic@globalinitiative.net.
