OSCE regional workshop in Durrës focused on nexus between drug trafficking and violent crime

The OSCE Presence in Albania, with support from the OSCE Transnational Threats Department/Strategic Police Matters Unit and the United States Department of Justice's International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP), organized a two-day regional workshop on the nexus between drug trafficking and violent crime.

Held on 10 and 11 September in Durrës, the workshop brought together senior officials from the Special Structure Against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK), the National Bureau of Investigation and the Albanian State Police, as well as representatives from the police forces of Kosovo, Montenegro, and North Macedonia, and from EU national police services. Participants discussed the latest national and regional trends in illicit drug trafficking and the related threats of money laundering, contract killings, extortion and other severe forms of violence.

The event provided a platform for exchanging information and good practices, with the aim of strengthening regional co-operation and improving joint criminal investigations. By enhancing cross-border collaboration, the initiative seeks to more effectively disrupt the operations of local and international drug organizations active in the Western Balkans.