Albania one of the main heroin transit countries in Europe, cocaine also doubles

Albania is ranked by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) among the main countries of departure or transit of heroin shipments in Europe, according to reported seizure cases for the period 2021-2024.

In the map published in the statistical annex of the recently published World Drug Report 2026, Albania appears in the color that identifies the countries mentioned as "main countries of departure, or transit" for heroin shipments. (see first map)

In Europe, in addition to Albania, Turkey, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Spain, France, Belgium and the Netherlands also appear in the same category. Outside Europe, the map includes countries such as Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, India, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, as well as several countries in Africa and Asia.

The World Drug Report 2026 highlights that the global opioid market, including heroin, is in a period of significant change. The prohibition of the drug in Afghanistan in 2022 has significantly reduced opium and heroin production, while increased production in Myanmar has failed to offset the Afghan decline.

UNODC warns that markets may adapt by changing routes, trafficking methods and, in some cases, a shift to more potent synthetic opioids. “A perceived or real disruption in the supply of heroin in major consumer markets will prompt traffickers to seek alternatives. This, in turn, could shift illicit opium cultivation and illicit opium production to other countries, or trigger a shift to synthetic substitutes, such as fentanyl and nitazoxanide, or other new synthetic opioids — perhaps even to non-opioid substances,” the report says.

Next map, doubling of cocaine seizures

In another map in the report, Albania appears among the European countries with the strongest increase in cocaine seizures in 2024. On the UNODC map, the country is marked with the color indicating a doubling or more of the quantities seized compared to 2023. This puts Albania in the same category as several countries in Southeastern and Eastern Europe, where seizures increased significantly during the year. (see second map)

The report highlights that in Western and Central Europe, cocaine trafficking has undergone significant changes. Around 2024, efforts to crack down on trafficking and international cooperation between law enforcement agencies may have forced criminal networks to adapt the routes and methods of drug transportation.

The amount of cocaine seized increased sevenfold between 2014 and 2023. However, in some countries, a decline in both the purity of cocaine on the retail market and the quantities seized was observed in 2024, which may signal temporary disruptions in some areas as inflows were adjusting to new entry points.

Overall, the amount of cocaine seized in Western and Central Europe fell, as the main trafficking hubs shifted from the important ports of Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands to France, Portugal and Spain.

Detections of cocaine shipments to Europe transported in containers decreased in key European destination countries, while they increased in South America, suggesting a global shift towards seizures closer to the drugs' countries of origin.

The number of containerised shipments to Belgium continued to increase, but the average size of the shipments fell by 39%. This reflects a trend by criminal groups to use smaller, lower-risk hideouts, particularly within refrigerated container structures.

Smaller ports also appear to be gaining importance in trafficking networks. Overall, cocaine flows to Western and Central Europe have adapted in terms of routes, entry points and trafficking methods, but remain at high levels./ Monitor