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Our next President will face a long list of problems to deal with and no shortage of headaches.
In
Washington, Albania’s recent conversion into a Balkan drug haven has
flown under the policy radar and needs immediate US attention. That’s
because Albania is a NATO member whom the alliance pledged to defend
under Article 5, risking American troops in time of crisis. NATO is only
as strong as the weakest link, and we can’t ignore a crisis that is
destabilizing an alliance member.
In January of this year, the UK’s Daily Mail announced
that a “Staggering Arsenal of RPGs, Machine Guns and Grenades Found
Guarding Albanian Gangsters' £4 Billion Drug Empire.” Staggering
indeed.
The ‘empire’ was
Lazarat, a small, ‘lawless’ town in southern Albania. It was the second
such operation there in less than two years, and like the first, it
involved eight hundred armed police using helicopters and armored
vehicles.
A UK Mirror article noted that “narcotics barons had turned the area around Lazarat into a no-go zone.”
Albania has began to resemble a Balkan version of Mexico and Colombia.
These and other reports,
single out Albania not only as a major producer of illegal drugs, but
also as a transit point for drugs coming in from Asia and making their
way throughout Europe. It has been converted into a base from which
criminal gangs smuggle cigarettes, heroin, cocaine, cannabis resin and
other illicit substances into the rest of Europe, according to the
European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, Europe’s drug
agency.
Some in the press have
alleged that the operation can be traced to the very highest levels of
government. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE) has confirmed
the authenticity of an internal 2015 report that included several
third-party allegations of corruption by members of Parliament including
Prime Minister Edi Rama, a man who attended George Soros’ wedding, by
the way.
Other reports
tie both Prime Minister Rama and Interior Minister Saimir Tahiri to
their own family members who have heavily engaged in the drug business.
Last
year, Albania's opposition Democratic Party called for the resignation
of Tahiri, accusing him of protecting criminal groups that smuggle
Albanian marijuana to Italy by plane. While pro-government spokespeople
have maintained such accusations politically motivated, the fact that
the most recent raid on the Lazarat enclave netted 102 tons of marijuana
and destroyed over half a million marijuana plants indicates someone in
government isn’t paying close attention, or does not want to. That is,
until the drug problem becomes too obvious to the European Union, to
which they aspire, and Albanian leaders are forced to act.
Pictures
accompanying the January Daily Mail article about the raid on Lazarat
could have convinced any reader that what was shown was an ISIS arms
cache, replete with the finest weaponry available on the market.
To compound matters, ISIS appears to making its own headway in Albania, a predominantly Muslim country. According to news reports
coming out of the U.K., ISIS sympathizers and supporters have taken
control of cannabis farms in Albania that are responsible for a huge
proportion of the weed illegally sold in Britain.
And in June, the Washington Post noted
that despite a centuries-old tradition of religious tolerance and
moderation by Albania’s majority-Muslim populations, “even here, 1,200
miles from the fighting in Syria, the Islamic State has found a small
but devoted following. Extremist messages are finding fertile ground in
poorer neighborhoods and villages, where official corruption is high
and unemployment among young adults often exceeds 40 percent.”
It’s
that very corruption that may be causing senior Albanian government
leaders to turn a blind eye to the drug trade, the emergence of ISIS in
their country, and their responsibilities to the partner nations around
them. If the watchmen are not standing watch, the whole security and law
enforcement system in Albania may be compromised.
While
NATO membership for Albania is important, its transformation into a
drug haven is unacceptable. The nexus of drugs and an emerging ISIS
presence in Albania does not bode well for the long-term security of our
European partners ourselves. Moreover, corruption that appears to
extend to the highest levels is the best protection money can buy.
Our
new president’s plate will be full to be certain. He or she would be
well served to take a few moments to address the nexus of drugs, ISIS,
and security in the Balkans, and particularly in Albania.
Given
the US’ priorities to fight these insidious threats while making NATO
stronger, the next president should make tackling the problem of the
emerging Balkan drug haven a top security policy priority.
Our
Congress and law enforcement authorities should look deeper into this
dangerous environment, including an international investigation of
senior Albanian Government officials connected to international
organized crime, drug trafficking, and terrorist activities.
Only under strong US leadership such an investigation can succeed.
Cowan
is a FOX News Channel contributor and internationally acknowledged
expert in the areas of terrorism, homeland security, intelligence and
military special operations. A retired Marine Corps officer, Cowan spent
three-and-a-half years on combat assignments in Vietnam.
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