Ervin Hoxha, Minister of the Interior, gave the following speech during the joint conference with Italy, where the results of the 2024 anti-cannabis fight were announced:
Honorable Ambassador Bucci,
Honorable Brigadier Generals Iani, Vinciguerra and Caci,
Honorable Director General of the State Police,
Honored partners of the Italian Police and representatives of the State Police,
Based on the results achieved so far, it is a pleasure to address and welcome you to this conference where all the data on the fight against cannabis cultivation has been analyzed until 2024.
We have a balance of 185 flight hours, 62 operations, 216,000 inspections and more than 350,000 working hours of police officers during these operations.
This issue has been and continues to be a national priority.
The results achieved this year once again demonstrate the commitment and cooperation between the Italian and Albanian structures, as well as with the community and especially with our Italian partners, whom I take this opportunity to thank for their work and dedication.
As the Ambassador mentioned, Italy is present in Albania, not only in the police cooperation, but also in other areas, such as the School for Magistrates, the leadership of EU4LEA for the umpteenth time by Italian missions and leaders who have been present and permanent in the cooperation and capacity building of the Albanian police.
As a result of these joint efforts, we have achieved a significant reduction in cultivation cases in Albania and have taken Albania off the global cannabis cultivation map.
These successes are not accidental, but the result of continuous daily work and a clear strategy.
All this is supported by the cooperation of the Italian police, which has helped to reduce the space for organized crime and illegal activities.
However, these results make us think that success and the road ahead are still full of obstacles to be overcome. This requires great commitment and solid dedication.
The challenges remain real, but our commitment is unwavering.
With the support of the Albanian government and the Italian police, I am confident that we will continue to do our best to achieve successes in the fight against crime and cannabis cultivation, as well as any challenges that may arise. Let us continue to work together for a cannabis-free Albania, where security and order are our common standards.
Thank you for being here today and for participating in this conference, which once again serves as a model of cooperation between two countries and two police forces. Thank you.
Ilir Proda, General Director of the State Police, gave the following speech at the joint conference with the partners of the GDF on the results of the war against cannabis cultivation in the year 2024:
Honorable Ambassador Fabrizio Bucci,
Honorable Brigadier General Giampiero Ianni,
Honorable Brigadier General Luigi Vinciguerra,
Honorable Brigadier General Vincenzo Caci,
Organizing this joint conference between the State Police and our Italian colleagues to highlight and reflect the common results and achievements in the prevention and fight against criminal activities of drug cultivation for 2024 is not only a long-standing tradition or a routine obligation, but it is also a responsibility and an appreciation of what we have achieved and what we need to do more in this direction.
The fight against the cultivation, production and trafficking of cannabis is one of the main priorities of the State Police, which in the year 2024 maximally engaged itself in the fulfillment of the priorities and measures outlined in the strategic documents, in particular the Strategy against Organized Crime and Serious Crime 2021-2025 and the Action Plan for its implementation.
On the basis of these strategic documents and the analysis of the problems identified in 2023 and the previous years, the General Directorate of the State Police drafted and implemented the Action Plan “For the Prevention and Combating of the Criminal Activity of Narcotic Plant Cultivation for 2024”.
The work of the police in this framework included the drafting of action plans, monitoring plans and operational plans, both at the central and local levels.
The main priority was joint inter-institutional action and international cooperation in order to achieve sustainable results in the prevention of the cultivation of narcotic plants, as well as the identification, detection and dismantling of criminal groups and networks active in the cultivation and trafficking of cannabis, and the prosecution of the perpetrators of this activity.
The action plan focused on the following main directions:
– Raising awareness in the affected communities;
– Continued territorial control aimed at prevention and intervention during the initial cultivation phase;
– Intensification of intelligence and investigative activities to detect and combat the criminal activity of cannabis seed trafficking and the organizers of the cultivation and trafficking of cannabis sativa;
– Strengthen cooperation with local authorities, the Ministry of Defense, and all other actors involved in the Action Plan, as well as international cooperation, especially with Italian partners;
– Identifying and punishing administrators and police officers who neglect or collaborate in various ways in the cultivation of narcotic plants.
A special focus in 2024 was placed on awareness campaigns, through the broad involvement of citizens in the information process, raising awareness and creating practical opportunities for citizens to provide information.
In this regard, awareness-raising meetings, conferences, press statements, etc. have been organized. Educational institutions have made the most significant contribution to raising community awareness. In these meetings, all state institutions, local unit administrations, regional environmental agencies, forestry, private companies, fire brigades, municipal police and private security services took responsibility for their legal obligations in this field.
In addition to awareness-raising, regular territorial control began to identify areas cultivated with narcotic plants. We secured information and targeted the planting of seedlings and the cultivation of cannabis in greenhouses, warehouses, abandoned houses, tunnels, and any other environment used by criminal groups.
Again this year, we divided the control zones and responsibilities, organizing teams responsible for specific areas, from the central to the local level, where each police officer was responsible for a specific area.
In total, the State Police carried out 216,280 inspections and 341,520 hours of service in 2024.
Control of the territory was intensified through the use of drones, with 51 drones used in 2024, increasing the number of these state-of-the-art devices from 38 in previous years.
This year, 185 hours of aerial surveillance were conducted.
Throughout 2024, the digital map created earlier was enriched with the latest data on plots of land, forest areas, etc., where narcotic plants were cultivated in previous years or could potentially be cultivated in 2024.
The functioning of the electronic system “GIS-NARCOTIK” was continued, providing complete data and enabling analytical reports on
– Territorial control;
– Information provided by other law enforcement agencies, tracking and monitoring this information;
– Aerial surveillance reports and tracking of this data on the ground;
– Cases and locations of narcotic crop cultivation.
It was essential to collect, evaluate and analyze police information, as by directing information sources, the police built their work and controlled individuals with criminal records by launching proactive investigations, as outlined:
– In 2024, 5,506 pieces of police information on the cultivation of narcotic plants were processed;
– 103 preventive wiretaps were carried out on suspects of criminal activities related to the cultivation of narcotic plants;
– 119 proactive procedures with special investigative methods were initiated and followed up;
– 35 cases of cannabis sativa seed seizures were documented, amounting to 45,351 seeds seized, compared to 16,712 seeds in the same period of the previous year.
One of the goals set at the beginning of 2024 was to prevent and crack down on the recent trend of cultivating narcotic plants in closed spaces (grow houses) using special electrical and ventilation systems.
Through the assessment of the situation, the collection and analysis of information, and the cooperation with the power distribution company, two cases of the creation of grow houses and five cases of indoor cultivation were detected and cracked down on.
These actions resulted in the destruction of 381 narcotic plants and 3,040 cannabis seedlings.
In addition, 29 people were prosecuted, including 18 growers, 9 employees of the energy distribution company, 1 village mayor for abuse of office, and 1 citizen for failing to report a crime.
Another focus of our work has been to strengthen the capacity of specialized anti-narcotics units through training, intelligence analysis, and equipment.
Special attention has been paid to cooperation with international partners, considering cannabis cultivation as a real regional and international problem. We have already established a standard of cooperation through the exchange of experience and information with police forces in the region.
The success of recent years has been achieved thanks to excellent cooperation with our Italian partners.
This cooperation was also realized this year through the implementation of the Operational Protocol signed on February 18, 2021 between the General Directorate of the Albanian State Police and the Department of Public Security of the Ministry of Interior in Italy. This year, the aerial surveillance was carried out by the Guardia di Finanza using helicopters and airplanes equipped with the most modern technological systems.
Therefore, I take this opportunity to thank the Italian Government, the Ministry of the Interior and the Italian taxpayers who have contributed and supported the Albanian people and the State Police throughout these years. I also thank the Ministry of Public Security, the Interforce Mission, the Guardia di Finanza and all the Italian colleagues involved in this joint effort.
In May 2024, the Guardia di Finanza began aerial surveillance flights. A total of 62 missions were conducted, amounting to 185 flight hours.
In 2024, 109,104 narcotic plants were identified and destroyed by aerial surveillance, compared to 108,282 cannabis sativa plants destroyed in 2023.
All the coordinates provided by the Guardia di Finanza’s aerial missions were verified accurately and responsibly by the police services, once again reflecting the trusting and professional cooperation between the State Police and the Guardia di Finanza.
The State Police continued its frontal fight against criminal activities in the field of narcotics. There has been continuous work to combat this criminal activity through operations and measures to dismantle criminal groups involved in the trafficking, cultivation and production of narcotics.
Throughout 2024, police efforts have been directed at identifying, prosecuting, and dismantling criminal groups and individuals involved in the organization and management of narcotics cultivation, trafficking, and money laundering.
This year, our commitment has been strong in all areas, both preventive and repressive. It is easy to see the success of our efforts from the figures we have shared.
I would like to assure everyone that the fight against the cultivation of narcotic plants will continue in the coming years, and we will continue to work with our Italian and other international partners to ensure that Albania remains free of cannabis cultivation and safe for its citizens.
Thank you very much!