Daily: Kosovo is paradise for crime and smuggling

A provocative report only to "justify" and divert criminal Serbian activities in the North of Kosovo.
(Mr. Anti-Propaganda, 31 July 2011 16:24)

That might have been the intention for publishing this article in the current situation. But one thing you cannot deny: The mentioned facts are more or less correct: Kosovo is the main base for drug trafficking in Europe, and center for human trafficing, and the mafia clans have the same family name some of the politicians have.

While in the north, there is anarchy and no rule of law, in the south, there's the rule of clan loyalty, corruption and mafia law. Just like drug gangs want to expand their territory, the 'politicians' in Pristina have the same intention. They use Kosovo as the place for money laundry.

Nice summary, but nothing really new, these facts are well known all around the world.

USA arrested 50 albanians for drug trafficking on US soil last month..these people came prepared and seasoned from kosovo and albania,still thinking they have friends in high places...
Well now that thaci is going to jail for organ trafficking,we can expect to hear a lot more about his drug trade too.

On the face of it this seems like an obvious propoganda piece that could have easily been published in Politika 10 years ago.

However, that does not mean that the facts are not true. The astonishing thing about organised crime in Kosovo is that how so much is known, but yet nothing is done about these illegal channels. You have it in newspaper reports, it is in western intelligence reports, Kos Albanians (and Serbs) on the ground might talk about it among themselves in trusted company.

The only conclusion one can draw is that the internationals are deliberately not doing anything about it.

Its really rather boring talking about all the mistakes made by supposed enlightened internationals when the moment they settle in the region they actually become as 'bad' as Serbs and Albanians. They make mistake after mistake and decide to help themselves...

"The only conclusion one can draw is that the internationals are deliberately not doing anything about it. "
(bganon, 31 July 2011 17:48)

Like usual, acting according the motto: Everything for the s(n)ake of stability. Otherwise, Thaci wouldn't sit in his office, but in a prison cell. But that would cause an uproar, when all the Albanians (especially his clan members) will protest against the arrest of their 'hero' and 'George Washington of Kosovo' (one of the posters here really wrote that, it made me the laugh of the day) causing more trouble, violence and chaos. So, choosing between the devil and the deep blue sea, the devil was chosen.

Serbia is paradise for everything evil and wrong. I mean EVERYTHING.

A provocative report only to "justify" and divert criminal Serbian activities in the North of Kosovo.

A propaganda piece no doubt. Let me paint you a picture:


A. Introduction

The Republic of Serbia is an important transit country for narcotics and other drugs along the traditional Balkan smuggling corridor leading from Central Asia and Turkey to Central and Western Europe. Heroin grown and processed in Afghanistan is smuggled through Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, and Kosovo into Serbia, and onward to other European markets.

The Ministry of Interior believes that Serbian organized crime groups continue to smuggle cocaine directly from South America to Western Europe. Trafficking of synthetic drugs and precursors from Western Europe or elsewhere, either for the domestic market or transiting along a reverse Balkan route to Bulgaria and Turkey, also remains a concern. Serbia is not a major producer of organic or synthetic drugs or precursors, though Serbian authorities occasionally seize drug labs. The Serbian government estimates that relatively small amounts of internationally trafficked narcotics, mostly heroin or marijuana, remain in the country for domestic consumption. Officials believe that marijuana and synthetic drugs are the most popular drug among users.

According to the Public Health Service, there were 60,000 drug users in Serbia in 2008, with more recent estimates of addicts ranging from 30,000-100,000. Serbia’s drug abuse and drug treatment capacity is limited. The only dedicated government-run drug and alcohol rehabilitation clinic treats about 1100 patients per year, and the government conducts some public outreach on prevention.


Source: http://www.state.gov/p/inl/rls/nrcrpt/2011/vol1/156362.htm#serbia



Thanks,

New US Strategy Targets Global Organised Crime
Wednesday, 27 July 2011
http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2011/07/26/feature-01

"A traditional conduit for smuggling between east and west, the Balkans has become an ideal environment for the cultivation and expansion of TOC," the document released on Monday said. "Weak institutions in Albania, Kosovo, and Bosnia and Herzegovina have enabled Balkan-based TOC groups to seize control of key drug and human trafficking routes and Western European markets."

HN: Two Czech state attorneys help wipe out mafia in Kosovo
ČTK | 13 July 2011
http://praguemonitor.com/2011/07/13/hn-two-czech-state-attorneys-help-wipe-out-mafia-kosovo
"State attorney Basny, an expert in fighting corruption, told the paper that the first thing he got when he arrived in Peje was a bulletproof vest, a gas mask and a kevlar helmet."

I was in Kosovo for about four years. I have met TWO Kosovars that I could trust. Even they were embarrased about their "country" calling it a land of thieves and coffee shops. So this story does not suprise me a bit. I am glad I am not there any longer. I no longer have to watch my back...

Hey, KOSO, your picture has only one color. Let it become more colorful by enriching it with some sentences about Kosovo:

“Kosovo is primarily a transit country for Afghan heroin transiting from Turkey and for cocaine and marijuana coming through the Albanian and Montenegrin ports destined for Europe. The drugs are re-packaged at unknown sites within Kosovo into smaller amounts and then further transported in vehicles destined for European Union cities,” it is said in the report.

The State Department points out that “larger-scale drug arrests by Kosovo police and Kosovo Customs officials occur infrequently given the reported scale of drug smuggling” and that “there are credible allegations of corruption among KBP and Customs officers on the borders.”

“Due to the issue of statehood status and a sense of mistrust in the Kosovo police, there has been hesitation by surrounding countries to conduct joint investigations with Kosovo authorities,” the State Department stressed in its report.

“Levels of narcotics consumption among teenagers and university-aged young adults, the primary users, are close to those in most Western European countries,” the report reads.

“There are no reliable estimates of the number of drug users, but UNICEF places the figure at around 20,000. Of this number approximately, 5, 000-6, 000 are dependent intravenous drug users,” the State Department pointed out.

hahaha what a story LoL... Serbs are wrelly creative in their propaganda. Maybee the family of Santa Claus controles the drugtrade in Gjakova? :D

Northern Kosovo must be heaven on earth and I guess Arkan was the messias :D


So much BS comes from serbs !!

This is known for decades by every intelligence agency in the whole world.
What do you think those western intelligence officers (600-700) in Kosovo are doing 24/7 ??
Its very strange if everybody knows except the people.

I would like to know some thing fom the K Albanian side;

1. Do you know this is true or not?
2. If you answer yes, is it dangerous for you if you know it and tell it openly to the public?

@koso

is this from the same writter who wrote the Kosovo organ harvesting movie, that is blaming the Serbs?
I know already title of his next Kosovo propaganda movie: How the Serbs killed John F Kennedy.
And insiders say hat after that they plan the movie: The free Kosova and how we managed to be the first to land on the moon.

analyst,

my post has plenty of color.......you just made my point that all Balkan countries are transit points of drug smuggling to the EU.

This article is pure propaganda. So everything is true because some clown of internal ministry in Belgrade says its true? It must really be accurate information from a loser in exile.

Robert Rope: Please don't speak of the Serbian media. You say you are a journalist, but you are little more than a second-rate Albanian propagandist. I don't see your pieces in any major publications. You are a nasty, spiteful individual.

--hahaha what a story LoL... Serbs are wrelly creative in their propaganda. Maybe the family of Santa Claus controles the drugtrade in Gjakova? :D Northern Kosovo must be heaven on earth and I guess Arkan was the messias :D So much BS comes from serbs !! (Demi, 31 July 2011 18:17)--

what can i say about their media, these days? apparently, that short period of "enlightenment" has long ago died, and been replaced by same old, same old from the 90s. can you imagine, after everything we've been thru... what was the point? ot-por! resist! fight back! and finally WE toppled the fascist regime... milosevic in the hague (hey, i didn't tell him to play russian roulette!), "democratic" govt... and now, back to this. just what was the damned point of it all?!

it is not ALL serbs. of course it SEEMS that way w/ their rad media, but isn't that the point? to increase "ethnic tensions" to a breaking point, to excuse anything and everything. to divert our attention from any kind of progress? any kind of inter-ethnic rapproachment? any real economic progress? real democratic political development?

there are some progressive people who are serb. it seems like every time i write about this theme i'm censured -- isn't that interesting and telling? serb human rights advocates. serb human rights activists. serb progressive intellectuals (not those 2 bit hack reactionaries!) serb progressive journalists, some in hiding in democratic! serbia, and for good reason -- they wish to live. every time i am visiting the balkans we meet good ppl, including serbs. but from their media we get such an incredibly skewed and milosevic-style perspective. it is no better than the 90's. and that was a very evil time.

but anyway, i am so grateful that other dissidents and minorities (to this site) have not all given in, given up. we must stay strong! the repression is intense! the battles are actually being fought in and thru the media, and our pov must not be silenced. somehow, in my view, we need to bring some progressive serb voices here as well, who will tell the truth, and not get caught up and trapped in the morass of endless extreme nationalism. we all know where that leads.

thanks demi, and others, for staying strong and persevering.

roberto frisco

Becouse it is according to Serbian Government this is all propaganda at it's best.

This article is pure propaganda. So everything is true because some clown of internal ministry in Belgrade says its true? It must really be accurate information from a loser in exile.
(KOSO, 31 July 2011 20:29)

I finally worked out why Kosovo is a failed state. Your so mixed up in nationalism that your blind to critism and claim it is always "Serbian Propoganda" instead of fixing the problems and moving on.

"my post has plenty of color.......you just made my point that all Balkan countries are transit points of drug smuggling to the EU. "
(KOSO, 31 July 2011 20:29)
Unfortunately, you didn't get my point. Sure, of course there are drug gangs all around the balkans, and the Serbian drug smugglers are another big source for drugs in Europe.
What I wanted to point out: In normal countries, police is fighting these drug gangs, in Kosovo, the KPS is doing nothing, EULEX officers have to fear for their life when they start investigating, and the fact that drug gangs, corrupt police and politicians are strongly connected you won't find anywhere in Europe. You could see it: Enforcing the nonsense and dangerous 'import ban' was tried immediately, fighting drug gangs hasn't been done for years. It's like you are cleaning the floor to make things look better, while at the same time, your roof is burning.

The funny thing is that the EU shut their eyes

And what Balkan country isn't? Come on what the timing of this article release is highly suspect.

Thats is true what artice says... I have strong information that It was drug and organ trafficing.. it was paradise for that... firearms was a very low portion... but drug and organ trafficing was the biggest. So all of govermant politicians and big business are in for they part... they were all in that and everybody knowed about it... the one who wasnt in it and know about it, and thy didnt buy them off, they would just simple kll him....

A provocative report only to "justify" and divert criminal Serbian activities in the North of Kosovo.

Serbia is paradise for everything evil and wrong. I mean EVERYTHING.

--hahaha what a story LoL... Serbs are wrelly creative in their propaganda. Maybe the family of Santa Claus controles the drugtrade in Gjakova? :D Northern Kosovo must be heaven on earth and I guess Arkan was the messias :D So much BS comes from serbs !! (Demi, 31 July 2011 18:17)--

what can i say about their media, these days? apparently, that short period of "enlightenment" has long ago died, and been replaced by same old, same old from the 90s. can you imagine, after everything we've been thru... what was the point? ot-por! resist! fight back! and finally WE toppled the fascist regime... milosevic in the hague (hey, i didn't tell him to play russian roulette!), "democratic" govt... and now, back to this. just what was the damned point of it all?!

it is not ALL serbs. of course it SEEMS that way w/ their rad media, but isn't that the point? to increase "ethnic tensions" to a breaking point, to excuse anything and everything. to divert our attention from any kind of progress? any kind of inter-ethnic rapproachment? any real economic progress? real democratic political development?

there are some progressive people who are serb. it seems like every time i write about this theme i'm censured -- isn't that interesting and telling? serb human rights advocates. serb human rights activists. serb progressive intellectuals (not those 2 bit hack reactionaries!) serb progressive journalists, some in hiding in democratic! serbia, and for good reason -- they wish to live. every time i am visiting the balkans we meet good ppl, including serbs. but from their media we get such an incredibly skewed and milosevic-style perspective. it is no better than the 90's. and that was a very evil time.

but anyway, i am so grateful that other dissidents and minorities (to this site) have not all given in, given up. we must stay strong! the repression is intense! the battles are actually being fought in and thru the media, and our pov must not be silenced. somehow, in my view, we need to bring some progressive serb voices here as well, who will tell the truth, and not get caught up and trapped in the morass of endless extreme nationalism. we all know where that leads.

thanks demi, and others, for staying strong and persevering.

roberto frisco

A propaganda piece no doubt. Let me paint you a picture:


A. Introduction

The Republic of Serbia is an important transit country for narcotics and other drugs along the traditional Balkan smuggling corridor leading from Central Asia and Turkey to Central and Western Europe. Heroin grown and processed in Afghanistan is smuggled through Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, and Kosovo into Serbia, and onward to other European markets.

The Ministry of Interior believes that Serbian organized crime groups continue to smuggle cocaine directly from South America to Western Europe. Trafficking of synthetic drugs and precursors from Western Europe or elsewhere, either for the domestic market or transiting along a reverse Balkan route to Bulgaria and Turkey, also remains a concern. Serbia is not a major producer of organic or synthetic drugs or precursors, though Serbian authorities occasionally seize drug labs. The Serbian government estimates that relatively small amounts of internationally trafficked narcotics, mostly heroin or marijuana, remain in the country for domestic consumption. Officials believe that marijuana and synthetic drugs are the most popular drug among users.

According to the Public Health Service, there were 60,000 drug users in Serbia in 2008, with more recent estimates of addicts ranging from 30,000-100,000. Serbia’s drug abuse and drug treatment capacity is limited. The only dedicated government-run drug and alcohol rehabilitation clinic treats about 1100 patients per year, and the government conducts some public outreach on prevention.


Source: http://www.state.gov/p/inl/rls/nrcrpt/2011/vol1/156362.htm#serbia



Thanks,

Becouse it is according to Serbian Government this is all propaganda at it's best.

hahaha what a story LoL... Serbs are wrelly creative in their propaganda. Maybee the family of Santa Claus controles the drugtrade in Gjakova? :D

Northern Kosovo must be heaven on earth and I guess Arkan was the messias :D


So much BS comes from serbs !!

While in the north, there is anarchy and no rule of law, in the south, there's the rule of clan loyalty, corruption and mafia law. Just like drug gangs want to expand their territory, the 'politicians' in Pristina have the same intention. They use Kosovo as the place for money laundry.

Nice summary, but nothing really new, these facts are well known all around the world.

USA arrested 50 albanians for drug trafficking on US soil last month..these people came prepared and seasoned from kosovo and albania,still thinking they have friends in high places...
Well now that thaci is going to jail for organ trafficking,we can expect to hear a lot more about his drug trade too.

Hey, KOSO, your picture has only one color. Let it become more colorful by enriching it with some sentences about Kosovo:

“Kosovo is primarily a transit country for Afghan heroin transiting from Turkey and for cocaine and marijuana coming through the Albanian and Montenegrin ports destined for Europe. The drugs are re-packaged at unknown sites within Kosovo into smaller amounts and then further transported in vehicles destined for European Union cities,” it is said in the report.

The State Department points out that “larger-scale drug arrests by Kosovo police and Kosovo Customs officials occur infrequently given the reported scale of drug smuggling” and that “there are credible allegations of corruption among KBP and Customs officers on the borders.”

“Due to the issue of statehood status and a sense of mistrust in the Kosovo police, there has been hesitation by surrounding countries to conduct joint investigations with Kosovo authorities,” the State Department stressed in its report.

“Levels of narcotics consumption among teenagers and university-aged young adults, the primary users, are close to those in most Western European countries,” the report reads.

“There are no reliable estimates of the number of drug users, but UNICEF places the figure at around 20,000. Of this number approximately, 5, 000-6, 000 are dependent intravenous drug users,” the State Department pointed out.

A provocative report only to "justify" and divert criminal Serbian activities in the North of Kosovo.
(Mr. Anti-Propaganda, 31 July 2011 16:24)

That might have been the intention for publishing this article in the current situation. But one thing you cannot deny: The mentioned facts are more or less correct: Kosovo is the main base for drug trafficking in Europe, and center for human trafficing, and the mafia clans have the same family name some of the politicians have.

"The only conclusion one can draw is that the internationals are deliberately not doing anything about it. "
(bganon, 31 July 2011 17:48)

Like usual, acting according the motto: Everything for the s(n)ake of stability. Otherwise, Thaci wouldn't sit in his office, but in a prison cell. But that would cause an uproar, when all the Albanians (especially his clan members) will protest against the arrest of their 'hero' and 'George Washington of Kosovo' (one of the posters here really wrote that, it made me the laugh of the day) causing more trouble, violence and chaos. So, choosing between the devil and the deep blue sea, the devil was chosen.

analyst,

my post has plenty of color.......you just made my point that all Balkan countries are transit points of drug smuggling to the EU.

This article is pure propaganda. So everything is true because some clown of internal ministry in Belgrade says its true? It must really be accurate information from a loser in exile.

This is known for decades by every intelligence agency in the whole world.
What do you think those western intelligence officers (600-700) in Kosovo are doing 24/7 ??
Its very strange if everybody knows except the people.

I would like to know some thing fom the K Albanian side;

1. Do you know this is true or not?
2. If you answer yes, is it dangerous for you if you know it and tell it openly to the public?

@koso

is this from the same writter who wrote the Kosovo organ harvesting movie, that is blaming the Serbs?
I know already title of his next Kosovo propaganda movie: How the Serbs killed John F Kennedy.
And insiders say hat after that they plan the movie: The free Kosova and how we managed to be the first to land on the moon.

On the face of it this seems like an obvious propoganda piece that could have easily been published in Politika 10 years ago.

However, that does not mean that the facts are not true. The astonishing thing about organised crime in Kosovo is that how so much is known, but yet nothing is done about these illegal channels. You have it in newspaper reports, it is in western intelligence reports, Kos Albanians (and Serbs) on the ground might talk about it among themselves in trusted company.

The only conclusion one can draw is that the internationals are deliberately not doing anything about it.

Its really rather boring talking about all the mistakes made by supposed enlightened internationals when the moment they settle in the region they actually become as 'bad' as Serbs and Albanians. They make mistake after mistake and decide to help themselves...

New US Strategy Targets Global Organised Crime
Wednesday, 27 July 2011
http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2011/07/26/feature-01

"A traditional conduit for smuggling between east and west, the Balkans has become an ideal environment for the cultivation and expansion of TOC," the document released on Monday said. "Weak institutions in Albania, Kosovo, and Bosnia and Herzegovina have enabled Balkan-based TOC groups to seize control of key drug and human trafficking routes and Western European markets."

HN: Two Czech state attorneys help wipe out mafia in Kosovo
ČTK | 13 July 2011
http://praguemonitor.com/2011/07/13/hn-two-czech-state-attorneys-help-wipe-out-mafia-kosovo
"State attorney Basny, an expert in fighting corruption, told the paper that the first thing he got when he arrived in Peje was a bulletproof vest, a gas mask and a kevlar helmet."

And what Balkan country isn't? Come on what the timing of this article release is highly suspect.

This article is pure propaganda. So everything is true because some clown of internal ministry in Belgrade says its true? It must really be accurate information from a loser in exile.
(KOSO, 31 July 2011 20:29)

I finally worked out why Kosovo is a failed state. Your so mixed up in nationalism that your blind to critism and claim it is always "Serbian Propoganda" instead of fixing the problems and moving on.

"my post has plenty of color.......you just made my point that all Balkan countries are transit points of drug smuggling to the EU. "
(KOSO, 31 July 2011 20:29)
Unfortunately, you didn't get my point. Sure, of course there are drug gangs all around the balkans, and the Serbian drug smugglers are another big source for drugs in Europe.
What I wanted to point out: In normal countries, police is fighting these drug gangs, in Kosovo, the KPS is doing nothing, EULEX officers have to fear for their life when they start investigating, and the fact that drug gangs, corrupt police and politicians are strongly connected you won't find anywhere in Europe. You could see it: Enforcing the nonsense and dangerous 'import ban' was tried immediately, fighting drug gangs hasn't been done for years. It's like you are cleaning the floor to make things look better, while at the same time, your roof is burning.

Robert Rope: Please don't speak of the Serbian media. You say you are a journalist, but you are little more than a second-rate Albanian propagandist. I don't see your pieces in any major publications. You are a nasty, spiteful individual.

I was in Kosovo for about four years. I have met TWO Kosovars that I could trust. Even they were embarrased about their "country" calling it a land of thieves and coffee shops. So this story does not suprise me a bit. I am glad I am not there any longer. I no longer have to watch my back...

The funny thing is that the EU shut their eyes

Thats is true what artice says... I have strong information that It was drug and organ trafficing.. it was paradise for that... firearms was a very low portion... but drug and organ trafficing was the biggest. So all of govermant politicians and big business are in for they part... they were all in that and everybody knowed about it... the one who wasnt in it and know about it, and thy didnt buy them off, they would just simple kll him....