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Observatory of Illicit Economies in South Eastern Europe
Summary highlights
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Busted Albanian cocaine network run from prison in Ecuador.
On 17 September, Europol released information about a major international operation that took down one of the most active Albanian-speaking cocaine-trafficking networks in Europe. The Albanian media speculate that the kingpin is a notorious 40-year-old Albanian criminal. Interestingly, he has been imprisoned in Ecuador for the past six years. This case shows the reach of criminal groups from the Western Balkans, and the weakness of justice systems in Latin America, which enables Balkan criminals to operate there – even from jail.
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Illicit weapons in the Western Balkans: a threat to Europe.
South Eastern Europe is awash with weapons, particularly from the legacy of wars in the former Yugoslavia. Some countries in the region still manufacture weapons. There is concern in Western Europe that guns, grenades and explosives from South Eastern Europe are being used for gang violence and by extremists and terrorists. This article looks at the scope and nature of the threat, as well as attempts to address it through the Berlin Process.
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Organized crime through a gender lens.
Organized crime is usually considered a man’s world. Little is known about the role of women as victims or perpetrators. The issue has received little attention in the Western Balkans and yet there are clear links between crime and masculinity in the region. This article looks at organized crime in the Western Balkans through a gender lens to better understand the informal rules that shape different roles for men and women, and to highlight what can be done to design countermeasures to change attitudes, images and behaviours.
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Phishing in North Macedonia.
Hackers in North Macedonia have developed a notorious reputation, from producing fake news during the last US election to carrying out a disproportionate number of cybercrime offences. Lately, cybercrime seems to be having a growing impact on the private sector in North Macedonia, particularly as a result of the technique known as ‘phishing’, which is used to steal data or carry out fraud. This article explains how it works and its impact.
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On breaking down silos, and ‘untouchables’: the Balkan Criminology network.
In our monthly focus on resilience, Dr Anna-Maria Getoš Kalac, founder and co-chair of Balkan Criminology and associate professor at the University of Zagreb’s Law Faculty, speaks about breaking down silos between academics, civil society, the media and criminal-justice practitioners in the Western Balkans, as well as the threat posed by ‘untouchables’ and the role of academia in fighting corruption.
About this issue
Thank you for your positive feedback on Issue 1 of the Risk Bulletin produced by the Civil Society Observatory to Counter Organized Crime in South Eastern Europe. We appreciate your comments, and welcome suggestions for stories and subjects to cover.
In this issue, we look at a recent case that came to light concerning an Albanian-speaking cocaine-trafficking network operating out of Ecuador. This illustrates a trend that the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) highlighted in a July 2020 report, ‘Transnational tentacles: Global hotspots of Western Balkan organized crime’, which showed how criminal groups from the Western Balkans are active in several crime hotspots around the world. What is also interesting about this case is that the alleged kingpin was coordinating drug-trafficking operations from a prison in Ecuador.
We feature a story about the smuggling of weapons from South Eastern Europe. Although this risk is not new, the problem has received attention recently, as guns, grenades and explosives from the region have been used in gang violence in Western Europe, and there are concerns that weapons could get into the hands of extremists and terrorists.
Gender is seldom a topic associated with organized crime. In this issue, we look at organized crime through a gender lens in the Western Balkans to better understand the informal rules that shape different roles for men and women, and to highlight what can be done to design countermeasures to change attitudes, images and behaviours.
In the past, North Macedonia developed a reputation for cybercrime and producing fake news. Lately, North Macedonian businesses have been on the receiving end of cyber attacks, particularly through a technique known as phishing, which is used to steal data or carry out fraud. We explain how it works and its impact.
Every month, we feature a profile of a person or organization working to strengthen resilience to organized crime and corruption. In this issue, we talk to Dr Anna-Maria Getoš Kalac about the Balkan Criminology network and what it is doing to improve the study of organized crime in the Western Balkans and to build networks between academics, civil society, the media and criminal-justice practitioners in the region.
If you would like to get in contact with us or would like to contribute to the Risk Bulletin, please contact us at almedina.dodic@globalinitiative.net.