Europol identifies the most dangerous groups in Europe, Albanian gangs lead with drugs

Europol has analyzed for the first time the most dangerous gangs in Europe, what they deal with and where they are active. 821 criminal networks within the EU organize the business of drugs, smuggling and others. Who are the most dangerous criminal gangs in Europe? How do they operate? How are they organized? What structures do they cooperate with? Europol has for the first time analyzed the "most dangerous" gangs of the European continent, thus showing the rather disturbing dimensions of organized crime in Europe.

The gangs are quite professional and operate as international, flexible, controlling, destructive organizations, Europol raises concerns. The report (04.05.) was made possible after all EU member states and 17 partner countries of Europol made available their data. According to the report, 821 gangs with 25,000 active members operate as dangerous networks within the EU, most of these gangs focus on the drug trade. According to Europol's analysis, every second gang is active in the drug trade, but there are many illegal activities, from drugs to human trafficking and others.

Albanian gangs lead with drugs

Criminal networks made up of non-EU nationals mostly come from Albania, Bosnia, China, Georgia, Iceland, Nigeria, Serbia, Turkey, the United Kingdom and Ukraine, Europol points out. Albanian networks composed mainly of Albanian gang members are mainly focused on the cocaine, heroin and cannabis market mainly in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Holland and Spain. Outside the EU, they operate in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and in their country of origin, Albania.

Europol mentions as a success in the report the destruction of a large Albanian drug gang on May 25, 2023, which brought drugs in containers to Belgium. Drugs were brought into Germany in cars with sophisticated concealment systems and distributed in Europe. Albanian gangs are organized as hierarchical families, composed mainly of Albanian citizens and Albanians with dual citizenship.

The illegal drug market is one of the main causes for the violence and income of the gangs", said the Belgian Minister of the Interior, Annelies Verlinden, after the presentation of the report. The criminal activities of the gangs are appearing more and more often in public and endanger the safety of the population. , said the Belgian Minister of the Interior. In many cities of the EU, drug offenses and power struggles between gangs have increased. To escape legal persecution, many gangs use teenagers for drug trade and other criminal activities.

Corruption and violence on the agenda

Gangs from the Western Balkans, Europol has pointed out, are extremely brutal. "Some of these gangs are specialized or have high participation in extreme violence, professional kidnappings and executions, corruption, money laundering, arms and explosives trade, document forgery," the EU police authority's report said.

Corruption is a key element for gangs to infiltrate ports and logistics chains. Based on local coordinators and their associates, criminal networks penetrate the ports by bribing the personnel. Europol takes the Belgian Antwerp as an example. A Belgian-Albanian family clan is active there, specializing in bringing hashish from Spain, and cocaine supplies from the city's port. The clan is supported by corrupt port officials, Europol points out.

Gangs as organizations with clear structures

Larger gangs are organized with clear hierarchical structures and are based on families or clans. To avoid detection, 86% of gangs use "legal trade structures", according to the Europol report. Often the profits from the drug trade are invested in construction, the real estate economy, as well as logistics and hospitality. As an example of a professional criminal organization and the investment of profits, the Europol report mentions the Ndragheta families in Italy.

Europol has data that this criminal organization invests the profits from drug and arms trade everywhere in Europe, such as in real estate, gastronomy, supermarkets and hotels. And Serbia seems like a central country for modifying stolen cars. The most affected countries are Germany, Poland and Serbia. Cocaine-trafficking gangs are much more active in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain. Criminal networks involved in labor trafficking and exploitation operate mainly in Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and Ukraine, the most frequently exploited people come from Georgia, Romania, Russia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

"We know who they are"

Director of Interpol, Catherine de Bolle said during the presentation of the report in Brussels (04.05.). "We know who they are, how they are organized, who they cooperate with and how they try to deceive the police." And the EU commissioner for internal affairs, Ylva Johansson said in Brussels that "organized crime is one of the biggest current risks to the security of our citizens, children and youth, democracy through corruption and extreme violence".

Of concern to the police authorities in the EU, it is not only the cocaine trade where many gangs focus, but also the flood of increasingly dangerous synthetic drugs on the market. The so-called "zombie" drug is appearing in Belgium and other countries more and more often - This is xylacin, a substance used in veterinary medicine to tranquilize animals. Criminal networks span from two to seven countries. Europol has requested greater cooperation between police authorities in Europe and Europol./DW