Holländer besuchen das Kolumbien Europas: Lazarate
In der Cannabis Drogen Stadt des Freundes von Salih Berisha und PD Bürgermeisters: Dasho Aliku!
Ein Besuch von Holländischen Studenten, welche die Zustände nicht glauben können.20 Tonnen Cannabis werden pro Jahr dort produziert, und vor allem nach Griechenland und Italien von kriminellen Horden gebracht. Dasho Aliku, schoss schon vor 12 Jahren auf Italienische Polizei Hubschrauber, verbrannte Polizei Einsatz Fahrzeuge und läuft frei herum in Albanien und war direkter Partner ebenso von Lulzim Basha, als diese Gestalt Innenminister war.Der Drogen Umschlags Platz "Kakomese", für Lazarate, wurde von der Bulgarischen Super Mafia nun gekauft, denn die Vertriebswege, müssen gesichert werden.
Ein Besuch von Holländischen Studenten, welche die Zustände nicht glauben können.20 Tonnen Cannabis werden pro Jahr dort produziert, und vor allem nach Griechenland und Italien von kriminellen Horden gebracht. Dasho Aliku, schoss schon vor 12 Jahren auf Italienische Polizei Hubschrauber, verbrannte Polizei Einsatz Fahrzeuge und läuft frei herum in Albanien und war direkter Partner ebenso von Lulzim Basha, als diese Gestalt Innenminister war.Der Drogen Umschlags Platz "Kakomese", für Lazarate, wurde von der Bulgarischen Super Mafia nun gekauft, denn die Vertriebswege, müssen gesichert werden.
FEATURE18 JUN 12 / 10:55:26
Greek Crisis Pushes Albanian Returnees into Drug Trade
As economic turmoil in Greece leaves many poor Albanians in the country jobless, some of those returning home are being drawn into the cannabis trade centred on a notorious village.
BIRN
Gjirokastra |
| Albert Kupe | Photo by : Telnis Skuqi |
Albanians who made a living through working as migrants in Greece are having to return home. Hard data are hard to come by, but anecdotal evidence suggests that the crisis in Greece has left large number of Albanian migrants unemployed, and illegal migrants who travel on yearly basis to Greece in search of seasonal work are hit hardest.
“It’s very bad out there,” said 40-year-old Albert Kupe, who just returned from a two-month stay in Greece. “Most [Albanian migrants] are barely making ends meet, but it’s hard for them to come back because they have their kids in school or sometimes mortgages to pay,” he added.
Kupe, who is from the village of Lavdar in the region of Korca, in past years has made the illegal journey across the border a dozen times. But, during his last trip, work was hard to come by, he said.
Sokol Kreli, a 35-year-old who had spent years working as a labourer in Greek olive plantations agrees. “I spent a month going from village to village, knocking door to door in search of work but could not find a day’s work,” he said, standing in the labour market outside the city of Gjirokastra, on the highway that links Albania with Greece.
Albert, Sokol and other former workers in Greece gather every morning in the market in Gjirokastra in search of work.
Although Albania’s economy has been badly hit by the Greek crisis, some sectors defy the downturn.
The cannabis plantations growing in a nearby village are flourishing, for example, and their owners seem determined to resist both the crisis and the actions of the local police.
Labour intensive work, growing cannabis is drawing dozens of former migrants into the drugs business, prompting local authorities to take action.
“It’s very bad out there,” said 40-year-old Albert Kupe, who just returned from a two-month stay in Greece. “Most [Albanian migrants] are barely making ends meet, but it’s hard for them to come back because they have their kids in school or sometimes mortgages to pay,” he added.
Kupe, who is from the village of Lavdar in the region of Korca, in past years has made the illegal journey across the border a dozen times. But, during his last trip, work was hard to come by, he said.
Sokol Kreli, a 35-year-old who had spent years working as a labourer in Greek olive plantations agrees. “I spent a month going from village to village, knocking door to door in search of work but could not find a day’s work,” he said, standing in the labour market outside the city of Gjirokastra, on the highway that links Albania with Greece.
Albert, Sokol and other former workers in Greece gather every morning in the market in Gjirokastra in search of work.
Although Albania’s economy has been badly hit by the Greek crisis, some sectors defy the downturn.
The cannabis plantations growing in a nearby village are flourishing, for example, and their owners seem determined to resist both the crisis and the actions of the local police.
Labour intensive work, growing cannabis is drawing dozens of former migrants into the drugs business, prompting local authorities to take action.
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| Head of Gjirokastra's Chamber of Commerce Mustafa Devolli |Photo by : Telnis Skuqi |
Ever since the financial crisis began in 2008 Albania has feared a mass influx of returning, unemployed migrants.
As yet, while many have come back, the country has not been inundated with returnees.
For many, the dire situation in Greece, where an estimated 650,000 Albanian migrants live, is still preferable to life back at home.
Meanwhile, those coming back have few chances of finding a regular job in the undeveloped local economy.
A report released recently by European Bank for Reconstruction and Development report predicts that the eurozone crisis will buffet all the Balkan economies, slowing growth in 2012.
The bank notes that although Albania’s economy continued to grow faster than other countries in the region in 2011, it experienced a slowdown in the second half of 2011 and early 2012, largely due to the weak performance of its key EU neighbours, Greece and Italy.
Mustafa Devolli, head of the Chamber of Commerce in Gjirokastra, said the city’s economy was suffering on account of the close trade and investment ties with Greece.
“Because our economy is intertwined with Greece’s, five manufacturing plants have shut down over the past year, sending nearly 400 workers home,” he recalled.
“This was due to a lack of orders from Greece and the inability of Greek contractors to pay their invoices,” Devolli added.
“The domino effect of this slump in manufacturing and exports has also been felt by other sectors like construction and the service industry, which also have seen demand by consumers fall,” he continued.
As yet, while many have come back, the country has not been inundated with returnees.
For many, the dire situation in Greece, where an estimated 650,000 Albanian migrants live, is still preferable to life back at home.
Meanwhile, those coming back have few chances of finding a regular job in the undeveloped local economy.
A report released recently by European Bank for Reconstruction and Development report predicts that the eurozone crisis will buffet all the Balkan economies, slowing growth in 2012.
The bank notes that although Albania’s economy continued to grow faster than other countries in the region in 2011, it experienced a slowdown in the second half of 2011 and early 2012, largely due to the weak performance of its key EU neighbours, Greece and Italy.
Mustafa Devolli, head of the Chamber of Commerce in Gjirokastra, said the city’s economy was suffering on account of the close trade and investment ties with Greece.
“Because our economy is intertwined with Greece’s, five manufacturing plants have shut down over the past year, sending nearly 400 workers home,” he recalled.
“This was due to a lack of orders from Greece and the inability of Greek contractors to pay their invoices,” Devolli added.
“The domino effect of this slump in manufacturing and exports has also been felt by other sectors like construction and the service industry, which also have seen demand by consumers fall,” he continued.
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| The village of Lazarat | Photo by : Gjergj Erebara |
Meanwhile, set on the edge of a mountain side, just outside Gjirokastra, the village of Lazarat is known as Albania’s drug capital, remains famous for its cannabis and lawlessness.
Stationed at a roadblock on the only road leading into the village, police have not entered Lazarat since 2007, when a Special Forces unit killed a 27-year-old man from the village wanted for a kidnapping.
In response, the villagers attacked and burned the police station in nearby Gjirokastra. The Special Forces returned from Tirana to restore order in the village but no police officer has entered since then.
Three years earlier, “Lazos,” as the villagers are often called, shot at an Italian helicopter as it flew over their cannabis fields.
While Gjirokastra’s lawful economy is in a slump due to the crisis in Greece, the Lazos’ illegal trade in cannabis is flourishing.
In the last six months alone, police in Gjirokastra have sequestered 2.4 tones of cannabis grown in the village, while they have seized at least five times more at border crossings.
Viewing themselves as gentleman farmers and enriched from their illegal trade, few Lazos wish to work, making them increasingly dependent on outsiders to farm their fields.
On the same day that Albert and Sokol spoke to Balkan Insight, a half-dozen white vans from Lazarat came and collected workers from the labour market.
Both Albert and Sokol denied having ever worked in the cannabis fields, but local officials, who preferred to remain anonymous told Balkan Insight that most of the migrants picked up in the vans ended up tending the plants.
The police, who dare not enter the village for fear of an armed confrontation with the villagers, usually spend the better part of each summer stopping water trucks headed to Lazarat, seizing any cannabis shipments they see coming out.
In a change of tactics they are now detaining migrant laborers too.
In the last week police from Gjirokastra detained nearly 150 workers headed to Lazarat, as the planting season for the narcotic reached its peak.
On Sunday the head of Albania’s police, Hysni Burgaj, said that with the help of Italian helicopters the fields in Lazarat will be monitored from the air.
If necessary the police would move against them, he insisted. Whether the police really intend go further than detaining poor migrants and stopping water tanks, only time will tell. http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/greek-crisis-pushes-albanian-returnees-into-drug-trade
Stationed at a roadblock on the only road leading into the village, police have not entered Lazarat since 2007, when a Special Forces unit killed a 27-year-old man from the village wanted for a kidnapping.
In response, the villagers attacked and burned the police station in nearby Gjirokastra. The Special Forces returned from Tirana to restore order in the village but no police officer has entered since then.
Three years earlier, “Lazos,” as the villagers are often called, shot at an Italian helicopter as it flew over their cannabis fields.
While Gjirokastra’s lawful economy is in a slump due to the crisis in Greece, the Lazos’ illegal trade in cannabis is flourishing.
In the last six months alone, police in Gjirokastra have sequestered 2.4 tones of cannabis grown in the village, while they have seized at least five times more at border crossings.
Viewing themselves as gentleman farmers and enriched from their illegal trade, few Lazos wish to work, making them increasingly dependent on outsiders to farm their fields.
On the same day that Albert and Sokol spoke to Balkan Insight, a half-dozen white vans from Lazarat came and collected workers from the labour market.
Both Albert and Sokol denied having ever worked in the cannabis fields, but local officials, who preferred to remain anonymous told Balkan Insight that most of the migrants picked up in the vans ended up tending the plants.
The police, who dare not enter the village for fear of an armed confrontation with the villagers, usually spend the better part of each summer stopping water trucks headed to Lazarat, seizing any cannabis shipments they see coming out.
In a change of tactics they are now detaining migrant laborers too.
In the last week police from Gjirokastra detained nearly 150 workers headed to Lazarat, as the planting season for the narcotic reached its peak.
On Sunday the head of Albania’s police, Hysni Burgaj, said that with the help of Italian helicopters the fields in Lazarat will be monitored from the air.
If necessary the police would move against them, he insisted. Whether the police really intend go further than detaining poor migrants and stopping water tanks, only time will tell. http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/greek-crisis-pushes-albanian-returnees-into-drug-trade
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