News for today's 2018

<br /> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj14yW51w-dzRaMarKYLQA16A35K8ltyJ5DG_W9MMmbVoPSWs8gcv9Ds8OH1eKnNHTVJgsruL2KrMZSXjaAC5NunwBE58_bpp5qzB23LAiHyOnPDh_MY97-DVMcsCs_0waTviv3CVg_avYK/s1600/genetic_makeup_of_the_balkans_map.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj14yW51w-dzRaMarKYLQA16A35K8ltyJ5DG_W9MMmbVoPSWs8gcv9Ds8OH1eKnNHTVJgsruL2KrMZSXjaAC5NunwBE58_bpp5qzB23LAiHyOnPDh_MY97-DVMcsCs_0waTviv3CVg_avYK/s640/genetic_makeup_of_the_balkans_map.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">SOUTHEASTERN EUROPEAN ORGANIZED CRIME, EXTREMISM & GEOPOLITICS</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: 153.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Adapted by Geopolitical Analysis and Monitoring from Ioannis Michaletos </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: 153.0pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">ORGANIZED CRIME (OC) SYNDICATES EMERGING IN THE BALKANS</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The main threat to the BALKANS nowadays is the existence of well organized criminal groups that to an extent are an integral part of the world wide “Crime Syndicates” that for the most part control the narcotics trade as well as human trafficking in our époque. The infamous BALKAN drugs route is the main path by which narcotics and specifically heroin; are smuggled to EUROPEAN countries. It is actually a network of contrabands, corrupted public officials and war lords that make sure that the heroin produced in AFGHANISTAN is smoothly transferred to the EUROPE.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">ORGANIZED CRIME SYNDICATES (OC) CONSTANTLY INCREASE THEIR RICHES AND THUS POLITICAL INFLUENCE</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">.</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">According to the Council of Foreign affairs, AFGHANISTAN has almost tripled its heroin production and in 2005 32,000 acres were reserved for poppy cultivation, out of 12,000 acres in 2004. This fact shows first of all failure by the International Community (IC) in that country to create the necessary framework for the reconstruction process. As far as the ramifications for the BALKANS are concerned, the increased profits by Organized Crime syndicates (OC) have boasted them with tremendous riches and political influence.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">There are mainly two organized ethnic groups that deal most of the arrangements concerning the OC in the Balkans. The so-called ALBANIAN mafia and the TURKISH crime syndicates. The ALBANIAN OC is very active since the collapse of the Communist rule in this country that opened the way for various indigenous gangs to spread their wings further and take part in one of the most profitable commerce of all times, namely drugs and human trafficking. A leading FRENCH criminologist Xavier Raufer has extensively dealt with the issue of the ALBANIAN mafia. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">He considers the ALBANIANS as the only true “Mafia” in the BALKANS due to the peculiar social structure of their society in the Northern parts of the country “The land of the Genghis”.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">An isolated society with very firm beliefs in issues of honor and manhood pride coupled with severe social problems and a culture of vendetta; has been transformed into a huge international crime network. Various reports indicate that roughly 70-80% of the heroin distributed in EUROPEAN is under ALBANIAN control, a really impressive percentage for a nation of just 6 million people. Moreover in the BALKAN route –In reality three distinct routes-, the ALBANIAN mafia plays a vital role in safeguarding the interests of the world drugs trade by having its “Soldiers” and “Capos” along the way and protecting shipments from police and official interruption.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">TRAFFICKING OF WOMEN FROM ALBANIA IS ONE OF THE MAIN WAYS TO ESTABLISH A “WAR CHEST” FOR OC</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Furthermore ALBANIA as a country is a major producer of Cannabis, which is mainly exported to neighboring GREECE and ITALY. The narcotic traded is placed along the trafficking and human trafficking operations that have seen the ALBANIANS gaining the fame as the most powerful and dangerous criminal group in SOUTH EASTERN EUROPE. In GREECE alone the revenues from prostitution run at around 7.5 billion USD, a large portion of that being controlled by ALBANIAN criminal groups. Trafficking of women from ALBANIA is one of the main ways to establish a “War chest” for OC, in order to invest its wealth in the drugs trade.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In essence the first stage for every respectable OC unit, is to establish a prostitution ring, make easily large amounts of cash, and then invest them for the drugs trade by constructing the expensive logistics bases, fake companies, pay corrupted officials and so on. Therefore when looking into the different aspects of organized criminal activity, one should note that all forms of that activity are interconnected and that each one leads to the other. That actually is one of the differences of organized crime from the other forms of criminality.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">INTERCONNECTION BETWEEN OC AND TERRORISM</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Back to the activities of the ALBANIAN criminal groups, the recent history illustrates the existence of a hybrid criminal form, meaning the interconnection between criminal activities and terrorism. The ALBANIAN groups that are mostly active in the North of the country have been associated with the preparations of the U.C.K guerilla forces in the late 90’s, as well as, with their arming and training. The troubling 90’s in SOUTH EASTERN EUROPE saw the convergence of the drugs trade along with the formation of radical Islamic groups and the pervasion of corruption in the upper echelons on the countries involved. In the ALBANIAN case the past decade it is assumed that the country is facing a virtual takeover of its institution by the OC that in its turn has been linked with international terrorism, with Al Qaeda withstanding.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The main role of the ALBANIAN Mafia in the narcotics trade is the one of wholesale distributor of AFGHAN heroine. Along the BALKAN route and especially the one passing through SOUTHERN BULGARIA, FYROM; the ALBANIANS import heroin and then dispense it to ITALY, or BOSNIA- CROATIA to AUSTRIA and CENTRAL EUROPE. After 1999 and the consequent ALBANIAN dominance in KOSOVO, Pristina has become the unquestionable narcotics capital of EUROPE. A traditionally provisional city in the midst of the BALKANS is nowadays the epicenter of all drugs deal of an area encompassing CENTRAL EUROPE, BALKANS, and MIDDLE EAST.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">KEY ELEMENT IN BALKANS OC: KOSOVO-ALBANIAN DIASPORA</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The lack of law coupled with the existence of a society reluctant to pursue OC, has created a “black hole” in the centre of the BALKANS that primarily lives on criminal activities and the remittances of the KOSOVO-ALBANIAN Diaspora. The latter is strategically located in countries such as SWITZERLAND, AUSTRIA, GERMANY and DENMARK and dominates the EUROPEAN heroin trade. Despite the fact that ALBANIANS are relatively newcomers to the EUROPEAN organized crime scene-Like the old-timers Sicilians, Corsicans – they have already taken over the entire EUROPEAN heroin market and make large advances in the sectors of trafficking, racketeering, arms smuggling, illegal gambling and human trafficking.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">TURKISH CRIME SYNDICATES ARE THE <span style="font-size: large;">UNDISPUTED</span> PARTNER OF THE ALBANIANS</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The infamous ALBANIAN mafia is a formidable criminal network, but the existence of another one, influential as well, should be added in order to examine the whole spectrum of drugs trade in the BALKANS. The TURKISH crime syndicates are the undisputable partner of the ALBANIANS. It would not be possible for the ALBANIANS to become distributors in the first place if the weren’t able to acquire their goods from the East, and that is where the role of the TURKS begins.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">TURKEY is a country strategically located between the EAST and the WEST. Apart from its importance in political and military level, it is also an integral part of the international narcotics smuggling. It would just be very hard for heroin to travel from CENTRAL ASIA to EUROPE without being able to trespass TURKEY, the only ASIAN country bordering with EUROPE. TURKEY traditionally is producing Opium, for pharmaceutical purposes. In the early 70’s international pressure –Mostly from Nixon administration in the USA- obliged TURKEY to enforce stricter rules for Opium production in 1974. Up until then heroin was produced in TURKEY as an Opium derivative and quantities were sold to the West with the assistance of the Sicilian and Corsican mafias.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">TURKISH NARCOTIC PRODUCTION BASES ESTABLISHED IN AFGHANISTAN AND NORTHERN PAKISTAN</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The heroin to be sold was transported with ships to Sicily, and then to Marseilles were the Corsicans had created labs for the fabrication of the commercial product. From then onwards it was transferred to New York and other USA ports where the AMERICAN-ITALIAN mafia would assure its allocation in the end-users, the heroin addicts. The forceful USA administration at that time declared a war against narcotics and obliged the TURKS to seek other sources of the lucrative opium. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Soon enough TURKISH operational production bases were established in AFGHANISTAN and NORTHERN PAKISTAN. The war in the former during the 80’s, as well as, the resurge of the KURDISH guerilla fighting after 1984 and the IRAQ-IRANIAN war the same period; created a convergence of political, criminal and military operations based in heroin trade.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Events such as the IRAN-Contra scandal illuminate how far the <b>heroin trade has penetrated the higher echelons of the world’s decision-making process and how it interacts with the international affairs.</b> See: <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/09/crime-corruption-and-political-system.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/09/crime-corruption-and-political-system.html</a>and <a href="http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/09/crime-corruption-and-political-system_7.html">http://news-these-days.blogspot.com.ar/2012/09/crime-corruption-and-political-system_7.html</a> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Moreover the effective destruction of Beirut during the 80’s collapsed the cities ubiquitous reputation as the prime port for narcotics trade and this role was taken over by Istanbul. The situation after the end of the Cold War in 1989, found the TURKS financially strong from their trade in the previous decades and also ready enough to pursue stronger ties with the countries of Central ASIA.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">TURKEY, A KEY PLAYER IN DRUG TRAFFICKING?</span></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Furthermore the appearance of the ALBANIANS and the civil wars in former YUGOSLAVIA, provided ample of human resources in the BALKANS, eager in getting involved in the drugs trade so as to survive financially or gain capital to achieve their political aims. EUROPE now already hosted considerable TURKISH minorities-Especially GERMANY – and individuals from those TURKISH communities were used to act as local retail agents for the heroin distribution in EUROPE.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In 1996 the Susurluk accident(</span> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susurluk_scandal">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susurluk_scandal</a>) revealed to TURKEY the extent where the Drug –Lords have penetrated the upper crust of the society and they were able to conduct their businesses untouched by the law. Even the spouse of the then TURKISH Prime Minister Tancu Tsiller was accused by the local media for close interactions with notable underworld figures. Furthermore the accusations that the TURKISH security forces were conducting drugs trade in South Eastern TURKE, were in relation to the civil strife in that region because of the KURDISH fight and that presents once more that politics and criminal groups seem to go hand in hand.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiveE5Ekdx93pmeJM_1OTsg5banAE-UbpTwhAi_-1qJK_epdupMu45i8_77iwbBG1UfuACSPl0mMcwlX5hyphenhyphenzqAWvj-rEzBj4Nk44CP36HS9NUfS0ATDdbpNvZE5lPKtlBk_yn8hgEWUuTjL/s1600/balkan_map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiveE5Ekdx93pmeJM_1OTsg5banAE-UbpTwhAi_-1qJK_epdupMu45i8_77iwbBG1UfuACSPl0mMcwlX5hyphenhyphenzqAWvj-rEzBj4Nk44CP36HS9NUfS0ATDdbpNvZE5lPKtlBk_yn8hgEWUuTjL/s400/balkan_map.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The modus opperandi of the TURKISH organized crime in drugs trade follows the role of the coordinator and distributor. Large amounts of heroin shipments enter TURKEY each month and then delivered through the BALKAN route mostly, to all over EUROPE. It has to be noted that the country with the largest TURKISH community-GERMANY- is being used also as a redistribution centre. That means that when heroin reaches GERMANY, it is being handed out from there to the other major EUROPEAN markets, especially UK and SCANDINAVIA. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Moreover some of the strongest “Capo” of the TURKISH syndicates resided in GERMANY and generally speaking this country has become the centre of gravity for the TURKISH drug barons, as far as, their posture in the EUROPEAN narcotics scene is concerned. Furthermore the impact of the TURKISH drug lords has alarmed EUROPEAN security agencies due to the importance of their overall contribution in the narcotics market on the Continent. For instances since the 1970s, TURKEY has accounted for between 75 and 90 per cent of all heroin in the UK. The key traffickers are TURKS or criminals who operate along that route using TURKISH contacts.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The alliance of TURKISH and ALBANIAN crime groups can be explained at first glance by the cultural, religious and ethnic links –A large percentage of TURKS in Western TURKEY have ALBANIAN ancestry. Also, the tradition of the ALBANIANS to join and serve larger ethnic groups with whom they feel to have a kind of affinity might have its explanation. The same was the case in USA and New York especially where for decades the ALBANIAN crime syndicates tended to operate under the aegis and influence of the much stronger AMERICAN-SICILIAN crime corporations.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">See also </span>Part 2 to 6 on this Blog<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </span></span></div>

THE BALKANS – ORGANIZED CRIME AND POLITICAL CORRUPTION PART 1

SOUTHEASTERN EUROPEAN ORGANIZED CRIME, EXTREMISM & GEOPOLITICS Adapted by Geopolitical Analysis and Monitoring from Ioannis Michaletos ...

THE BALKANS – ORGANIZED CRIME AND POLITICAL CORRUPTION PART 1

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