VZCZCXYZ0002
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTI #0714/01 3090548
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 050548Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY TIRANA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 8562

UNCLAS TIRANA 000714 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR INL/AAE:JOHN LYLE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV SNAR SOCI AL
SUBJECT: ALBANIA INCSR SUBMISSION FOR 2009 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1. Albania is a transit country for narcotics traffickers moving 
primarily Afghan heroin from Central Asia to destinations around 
Western Europe. In 2009, seizures of heroin increased but seizures 
of marijuana declined. Cannabis continues to be produced in the 
remote mountain regions of Albania for markets in Europe. In 
response to continued international pressure, the Government of 
Albania (GOA), is aggressively confronting criminal elements but 
continues to be hampered by a lack of resources, expertise and 
endemic corruption. Albania is a party to the 1988 UN Drug 
Convention. 
 
STATUS OF COUNTRY 
----------------- 
 
¶2. Albania's ports on the Adriatic and porous land borders make it 
an attractive stop on the smuggling route for traffickers moving 
shipments into Western Europe, due in part to counter-narcotic 
measures that are under-financed, poorly managed and law enforcement 
officials who are corrupt and inadequately equipped.  Marijuana is 
produced domestically for markets in Europe, the largest being Italy 
and Greece.  While the majority of drugs has historically been 
smuggled across the Adriatic Sea, Albania's recent more aggressive 
policies and enhanced policing of its coast have redirected some 
trafficking over land borders with Kosovo and Montenegro for transit 
into Serbia and Bosnia. 
 
COUNTRY ACTIONS AGAINST DRUGS IN 2009 
------------------------------------- 
 
-- Policy Initiatives. 
 
¶3. A 2005 Moratorium outlawing speedboats and several other 
varieties of water vessels on all of Albania's territorial coastal 
waters was scheduled to expire in early 2009, but the Ministry of 
Interior has commanded its forces to continue to enforce the ban 
until Parliament specifically repeals it.  The moratorium has slowed 
the movement of drugs and trafficking in persons by smaller 
waterborne vessels, particularly to Italy. In January 2009, Lockheed 
Martin completed installation of a seven-radar sea-surveillance 
system which provides the Albanian Ministries of Defense and 
Interior a complete real-time picture of their entire sea border. 
In 2009 the Albanian Coast Guard/Navy received a 143-foot Damen 
patrol vessel from the Netherlands and will receive four more for 
the purpose of combating smuggling off of Albania's coasts.  As a 
result of these measures, the preferred route by traffickers now 
appears to be through Serbia and Bosnia and then on to Italy. 
Albania works with its neighbors bilaterally and in regional 
initiatives to combat organized crime and trafficking, and it is a 
participant in the Stability Pact and the Southeastern Europe 
Cooperative Initiative (SECI). Albania signed the Stabilization and 
Association Agreement with the European Commission in June 2006, and 
it has since been ratified by twelve European Union member 
countries. The EU noted in its ratification that Albania "...is 
still facing serious challenges in tackling corruption and organized 
crime, achieving full implementation of adopted legislation, 
improving public administration and fighting trafficking in human 
beings and drugs." 
 
-- Law Enforcement Efforts and Accomplishments. 
 
¶4. The Albanian State Police (ASP) continues to seize more heroin 
each successive year.  Italian statistics continue to show that the 
amount of Afghan heroin seized in Italy being transited directly 
from Albania remains minimal. According to the Ministry of Interior, 
in the first 9 months of 2009 the ASP seized 73.95 kilograms of 
heroin compared with 59 kilograms seized in the same period of 2008. 
 Since January 20009, the ASP has arrested 320 persons for drug 
trafficking and is seeking to arrest 24 others. The ASP has also 
seized 2030 kilograms of marijuana and destroyed 123,681 marijuana 
plants. This is down slightly from 2008 but can be attributed to the 
intense eradication efforts by the government and the more remote 
regions that the growers must use in order to evade detection. The 
ASP also seized 3.85 kilograms of cocaine but in the process 
arrested 27 suspects - the seizures were mostly dealers and not 
traffickers. There have been several reported attempts to transport 
heroin from Italy back across the Adriatic to Albania, but these 
have been the exception rather than the rule. 
 
-- Corruption. 
 
¶5. Corruption remains a deeply entrenched problem in Albania. Low 
salaries, social acceptance of graft and Albania's tightly knit 
social networks make it difficult to combat corruption among police, 
judges, and customs officials.  Corruption aids and abets organized 
crime and drug trafficking.  Albania ratified the UN Convention 
against Corruption in 2006. In 2008 and the first half of 2009, the 
police and judiciary have been more active in investigating 
government officials and law enforcement personnel for corruption. 
During 2008, the prosecutorial system registered 683 cases for 
corruption-related offenses against 295 defendants, or 47% more 
cases registered against 16% more defendants compared to 2007. 
Prosecutors have referred to court 154 cases against 300 defendants, 
or 39% more cases referred to court against 66% more defendants 
compared to 2007.  During 2008, the courts rendered 155 guilty 
verdicts, or 70% more convictions compared to 2007. 
 
¶6. Although these numbers are a significant improvement over 
previous years, Albania continues to lack the judicial independence 
for unbiased, transparent proceedings and many cases are never 
resolved. High-ranking government officials, including judges and 
members of parliament enjoy immunity from prosecution, which hinders 
corruption investigations. However, the creation of a Joint 
Investigative Unit to Fight Economic Crime and Corruption (JIU) has 
had a tangible impact on the fight against corruption in Albania's 
capital. (See Section IV for a complete description of this unit and 
its work.) 
 
¶7. To date, in 2009, 80 criminal complaints have been sent to the 
prosecution office involving 97 police officers including one 
officer of mid-level management, 26 officers of first line 
supervision level and 70 operational level officers. 43 complaints 
involving 52 police officers involved corruption related offences. 
 
¶8. In the beginning of November 2008, a new law on the Internal 
Control Service (ICS) entered into force, determining that the ICS 
Directorate in the Ministry of Interior would establish an 
Inspections Directorate in addition to utilizing the Integrity Test 
as a tool to fight corruption within police ranks. While the new 
structure of the ICS which includes the Inspections Directorate was 
approved on 3 September 2009, the directorate itself has yet to be 
established due to lack of funding. 
 
-- Agreements and Treaties. 
 
¶9. Albania is a party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention, the 1961 UN 
Single Convention as amended by the 1972 Protocol, and the 1971 UN 
Convention on Psychotropic Substances. An extradition treaty is in 
force between the United States and Albania. Albania is a party to 
the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (TOC) and 
its protocols against migrant smuggling and trafficking in persons, 
and since February 2008, to the protocol against illicit trafficking 
in firearms. The TOC Convention enhances the bilateral extradition 
treaty by expanding the list of offenses for which extradition may 
be granted. The U.S. has applied the TOC most recently in a few 
extradition requests to Albania. 
 
-- Cultivation and Production. 
 
¶10. With the exception of cannabis, Albania is not a significant 
producer of illicit drugs. According to authorities of the Ministry 
of Interior's Anti-Narcotics Unit, cannabis is currently the only 
drug grown and produced in Albania, and is typically sold 
regionally. The cultivation of marijuana is decreasing slightly due 
to enforcement action by the ASP and poppy production remains 
insignificant with the seizure of 4.5 kilograms. No labs for the 
manufacture of synthetic drugs were discovered in 2009, and the 
trade in synthetic drugs remains virtually non-existent. Albania is 
not a producer of significant quantities of precursor chemicals. 
 
¶11. The Law on the Control of Chemicals Used for the Illegal 
Manufacturing of Narcotic and Psychotropic Substances was passed in 
2002 and regulates precursor chemicals. Police and customs officials 
are not trained to recognize likely diversion of dual-use precursor 
chemicals. 
 
-- Drug Flow and Transit. 
 
¶12. Trafficking in narcotics in Albania continues as one of the most 
lucrative illicit occupations available. Organized crime groups use 
Albania as a transit point for drugs and other types of smuggling, 
due to the country's strategic location, porous borders, weak law 
enforcement, and unreformed judicial systems.  Albania remains a 
transit country for Afghan heroin and a source country for 
marijuana, especially to Italy and Greece. While the majority of 
drugs have historically been smuggled across the Adriatic Sea, 
Albania's more aggressive policies and policing of its coast have 
redirected some trafficking over land borders with Serbia and 
Bosnia.  Albanian nationals appear to be taking a greater role in 
the financing and distribution of heroin outside of Albania, 
especially in the Northern Balkans and Western Europe. 
 
-- Domestic Programs/Demand Reduction. 
 
¶13. The Ministry of Health has stated that drug use is on the rise . 
While the Ministry has declared repeatedly that there are 30,000 
drug users in Albania, it has no reliable data about drug abuse to 
substantiate these claims.  Neither does it have statistics on the 
number of estimated addicts as opposed to users.  However, anecdotal 
evidence suggests that marijuana use is increasing in school-aged 
children. 
 
¶14. The GOA has taken steps to address the problem with a National 
Drug Demand Reduction Strategy but is hampered by the inadequate 
public health infrastructure that is ill-equipped to treat drug 
abuse, and public awareness of the problems associated with drug 
abuse remains low. The Toxicology Center of the Military Hospital is 
the only facility in Albania equipped to handle overdose cases and 
is staffed by only three clinical toxicologists. This clinic has 
seen an average of 2000 patients per year over the past five years, 
and the number of cases has remained constant over this period. The 
clinic estimates that around 80 percent of the cases result from 
addiction to opiates, primarily heroin, and most were intravenous 
drug users. There were two NGO's operating in Albania during 2009 
which dealt with drug related cases. Albania has few regulations on 
the sale of benzodiazepines, which are sold over the counter at 
local pharmacies, and the domestic abuse of these medications is 
believed to be rising, though no data is available. 
 
U.S. POLICY INITIATIVES AND PROGRAMS 
------------------------------------ 
-- Policy Initiative. 
 
¶15. The GOA continues to welcome assistance from the United States 
and Western Europe. The U.S. is involved in judicial sector 
assistance programs in the areas of law enforcement and legal reform 
through technical assistance, equipment donations, and training. One 
of the problems in training continues to be deep political 
polarization at all levels of government resulting in the absence of 
a strong civil service class and thus many trainees are subject to 
reassignment during times of political transition. 
 
¶16. The State Department-supported U.S. Department of Justice ICITAP 
and OPDAT programs continued their programs at the Ministry of the 
Interior, the General Prosecutor's Office, the Serious Crimes Court 
and Serious Crimes Prosecution Office, all with the goal of 
professionalizing the administration of justice, combating 
corruption, and strengthening the GOA's ability to prosecute cases 
involving organized crime and illicit trafficking. ICITAP continued 
to offer the Anti-Narcotics and Special Operations Sectors full-time 
advisory support, an advanced level of training (in cooperation with 
the FBI) to assist in combating illicit trafficking in people and 
drugs. ICITAP and State/INL continued to provide support for the 
GOA`s anti-narcotic strategy and efforts through its activities 
within the International Consortium and the Mini-Dublin Group. 
 
¶17. In 2009, OPDAT and ICITAP continued to work with the Albanian 
Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Finance, General Prosecutor's 
Office, and State Intelligence Service in forming additional 
Economic Crime and Corruption Joint Investigative Units (JIU) to 
improve the investigation and prosecution of financial crimes, 
especially money laundering and corruption. The JIU formally began 
operations in September of 2007 and has shown promising initial 
success, opening 222 cases in the first year of operation and 
successfully convicting the Deputy Minister of Transportation and 
the General Secretary of the Ministry of Labor on corruption 
charges. OPDAT has supported the JIU throughout 2009 with an 
imbedded OPDAT anti-corruption legal advisor and an intensive 
program of training, along with equipment donation. During 2009, the 
JIU has started investigation in 124 new criminal cases. 
 
¶18. OPDAT continues to have a direct and visible impact on the JIU's 
work.  The presence of an American prosecutor at the JIU has 
increased the public's trust in their work and also provided 
political cover for the prosecution of highly-placed public 
officials.  Procurement fraud and property issues continue to lead 
the types of cases being prosecuted, with the number of money 
laundering investigations steadily increasing. 
 
¶19. On May 6, 2009, the Prosecutor General, Minister of Interior, 
Minister of Finance, Director of State Intelligence Service (SHISH), 
the head of High State Audit, and the head of the High Inspectorate 
for the Declaration of Assets (HIDAA) publicly signed a Memorandum 
of Cooperation formally establishing six regional anti-corruption 
and financial crime units in the cities of Durres, Fier, Korca, 
Shkoder, Vlora, and Gjirokaster.  The heads of the regional JIUs 
were appointed on the day of the ceremony, and most of the 
prosecutors and judicial police officers were appointed on October 
29, 2009.  OPDAT will support these regional units through an 
MCC-funded program of training, mentoring, and equipment. 
 
¶20. The Witness Protection (WP) Directorate in the Ministry of 
Interior continues to work with the U.S. and other members of the 
international community to strengthen the existing witness 
protection legislation. The WP Directorate has helped to protect a 
number of witnesses, and witness families, in trafficking and drug 
related homicide cases. Witness Protection Law reform is being 
accomplished through the IC working group, with prosecutors and 
police working with internationals to revise the law written in 
¶2004. The new law is now being considered by the Albanian 
Parliament. 
 
¶21. The United States, through State/INL, continues to provide 
assistance for integrated border management, a key part of improving 
the security of Albania's borders, providing specialized equipment, 
and the installation of the Total Information Management System 
(TIMS) at border crossing points. TIMS is now operational in all 21 
major border crossing points and by October 31, 2009 will have been 
installed at the last 5 remaining remote border crossing points. 
Part of the integrated border management initiative, formally 
approved by the Albanian Council of Ministers on 29 September 2007, 
included the establishment of an autonomous Border and Migration 
Department with direct command and control of all border policing 
resources answerable to one central authority. Other U.S., EU, and 
international assistance programs include support for customs 
reform, judicial training and reform, improving cooperation between 
police and prosecutors, and anticorruption programs. The U.S. Coast 
Guard (USCG) provided maritime law enforcement training to Albanian 
officers through two visits of a mobile training team. Albanian law 
enforcement authorities have provided the Italian police with 
intelligence that has led to the arrest of drug dealers and 
organized crime members, as well as the confiscation of heroin in 
Italy. Cooperation also continues with Italian law enforcement 
officials to carry out narcotics raids inside Albania. 
 
¶22. ICITAP has teamed up with the New Jersey National Guard under 
the Partners for Peace Program to introduce a Drug Awareness-Demand 
Reduction Program in the Tirana Public Elementary Schools. ASP 
Community Policing specialists will be trained both in Albania and 
the United States to deliver essential information to children ages 
9 thru 14. This program is part of a broader based community 
policing strategy that includes international police assistance 
programs, educators and NGO`s as well as the police and local 
citizens. 
 
-- The Road Ahead. 
 
¶23. The Albanian government has made the fight against organized 
crime and trafficking one of its highest priorities.  The police are 
taking an increasingly active role in counter narcotics operations. 
Albania's desire to enter into the European Union and its entry in 
2008 into NATO continues to push the GOA to implement and enforce 
reforms, but the fractional nature of Albanian politics and the slow 
development of Albanian civil society have hampered progress. The 
U.S., together with the EU and other international partners, will 
continue to work with the GOA to make progress on fighting illegal 
drug trafficking, to use law enforcement assistance effectively, and 
to support legal reform.