Vlore buying marijuana

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Vlore buying marijuana

A short distance ahead lies the porous border with Albania. This is the biggest land route for cannabis trafficking in Europe. The Greek border village of Haravgi Ioannina is nearby, but there is no barbed wire or any other barrier to mark the frontier. They can survive for days in the forest. Greek police have confiscated 1. The previous two years, they seized almost nine tonnes. The smugglers, usually armed with Kalashnikovs, carry bags filled with kg of cannabis on their backs. They hide the drugs near designated spots - a large tree or a fountain - and the bags are then picked up by members of a Greek network. Police stage regular raids on both sides of the border, but the smuggling continues. All that was meant to change in the summer of , when Albanian special forces launched a major operation in the village of Lazarat, about 30km from the Greek border. Several days of battles ensued. Rocket-propelled grenades and mortar shells were fired at police, but by the end more than 10 tonnes of marijuana, thousands of cannabis plants and firearms were confiscated. And yet by , Albania's cannabis economy had spread throughout the country, according to the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. The Balkans already lay on one of the most established drug-trafficking routes in the world. Now, cannabis was profiting village growers as well as organised crime groups selling it across the European Union. To a generation of young Albanians, the illicit trade offered a way of making money, as it did for civil servants, police and politicians, according to the Global Initiative. Artan, 39, is one of Albania's young cannabis producers on the make. Sitting in a bar in the coastal city of Vlore, he explains how you can make a fortune, at least until you get caught. Artan's not his real name. He spent two years in Italy but came back to run the business from his home. He claims to have planted 50, cannabis plants this year alone, a big number even by Albanian standards. He pumps water from a spring 2km away and has his father pick up fertiliser, so he is not himself caught on CCTV. When the cannabis is ready for sale, it is moved to a village near the border. Then the smugglers take it 'either on foot or on mules across Greek territory'. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama promised there would be no let-up in the war on drugs as he pushed for entry to the European Union. But little changed and cannabis producers began seeking new markets - not just Greece and Italy, but Turkey, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK too. The US state department's annual drug report this year described Albania as a ' home base for transnational organised crime networks involved in trafficking illicit narcotics across Europe and beyond'. Now, the Albanian leader has sought to turn this illicit trade into a legitimate economic asset. In May, he abruptly announced that the government had been working on a bill to legalise medical cannabis for the past year and that illegal cultivation was under control. Albania not only has to tackle organised crime and corruption, it also has to convince the European Union it is doing so. So far nothing has been lined up, a senior government official has told the BBC. And the experience of Albania's neighbours suggests there will no quick fix:. Albanian police have begun using drones to find the main illicit cannabis plantations that have sprung up. But dense forest either side of the Greek border makes the task of tracking down the smugglers even harder on Europe's biggest cannabis route. Vladimir Karaj contributed reporting from Tirana. Skip to content. US Election. Why Europe's big cannabis route is so hard to shut. Alexandros Avramidis. These two bags containing up to 50kg cannabis were seized on the border. Albania battles cannabis growers. Getty Images. By the time of the gun battles, Lazarat had become known as Europe's cannabis capital. A producer's story. Greek police. Cannabis production and smuggling into Greece has become a big lure for young Albanians. Afghanistan, home to heroin trade, moves into meth Hidden fortune found in Pablo Escobar's house. Greece has legalised both industrial hemp and medical cannabis but to little economic effect In North Macedonia medical cannabis production is legal, but tonnes of cannabis buds and cannabis oil are sitting in storage. The longer it remains there, the greater the risk it will find its way on to the illegal market. Jim Connolly has been investigating how social media is being used to sell drugs. Drugs trade.

Lazarat – Albania – Day Tripping in the Illegal Drug Capital of Europe

Vlore buying marijuana

W hat struck me at first was how very normal Lazarat, Albania seemed. A gas station, a couple of cafes. School kids waiting for the bus. Slowly, I drove up into the hills. And then quickly, Lazarat became very, very, abnormal. At first, is was just a whiff. The aroma was familiar. Oh, occasionally the early evening, but usually the late evening. Or the mid-evening. Just the early evening, mid-evening and late evening. Occasionally, early afternoon, early mid-afternoon, or perhaps the late-mid-afternoon. Oh, sometimes the early-mid-late-early morning. But never at dusk! Never at dusk, I would never do that. In any case, the smell enveloping Lazarat was somewhat familiar. Sweet, enticing, cannabis sativa. The Chronic. Back Yard Boogie. Mary Jane, Skunk, Weed, Cannabis, Hash, Snickle-Fritz — whatever your friendly street corner hook-up calls it, the point is — we could smell that dank. Lazarat is not on the tourist map. For good reason. Unusually, I had actually done a small amount of research before heading into what is undeniably the illegal drug capital of Europe. The internet is filled with stories about SWAT teams, machine gun fire, drug lords, Albanian mafia, and vast, enormous, mind blowing, quantities of Marijuana. Advice I would take on board, and respectfully ignore. To put that in perspective, the annual gross domestic product of the entire Albanian economy is about 13 billion. And in Albania, marijuana is illegal. In Lazarat, the mafia maintains a presence. The locals are keen to keep a low profile. Not a chance. But, I decided to take a drive and see what Lazarat was like, up close. We had a cunning plan. We were all in agreement. As the designated driver, I thought that my Netherlands license plates may help — given the reputation of the civilised Dutch and their attitudes to Marijuana. The plan would be to drive from Sarande our base on the Albanian Riviera to Lazarat. Worse case scenario — if we got in, and things went bad, we get the hell out, fast. That was the extent of the entire plan. We would fill in the fine grain details, once we reached the home turf of the Albanian mafia. From the main road, state highway four, we spotted the Lazarat sign post. The town sits close to the highway, and reaches high up in the mountains. We drove in, and their were cautious smiles from the front and back seats. Perhaps it was a contact high, but we were giggling, and I desperately wanted a packet of crisps. Or maybe some salty peanuts. Still, as we drove further into the village, and further away from the highway, I felt some trepidation. Our Albanian friend, sitting next to me in the front seat, said it best. Can you smell that? Still driving up the hill, the plants started to appear. We had timed our run to Lazarat perfectly — it was time for business. Marijuana plants, in peak harvest season. Concrete block walls protected many fields, about 8 feet tall, but no barbed wire. The yards of houses were full of lush pine-green plantations, front and back. And we started noticing something else — everyone was looking at us. Which, when you think about it, is hardly surprising. We could not be more out of place if we tried. In hindsight, what the fuck were we thinking? A bunch of foreigners, just driving in to the middle of the largest illegal crop of Marijuana anywhere in Europe? Around us, on the road, deals were being made. Bags and boxes were being passed through car windows and loaded into vans and trucks. Cash was being exchanged. Things were getting surreal. The stares were intensifying the further we got into the village. Parking was a small ordeal. At the first spot I looked at to park, a bunch of people were manicuring and drying the Marijuana, ready for sale. Better pop Nancy into reverse, and park across the street. I squeezed into a spot between two big black Mercedes. Typical for Lazarat, both had tinted front windscreens and no license plates. Four guys, dark sun-glass types, eyeballed us as we jumped out of the car. They chatted among themselves. The first thing you notice, sitting at a restaurant elevated from street level in Lazarat, is Marijuana. This was the first real panoramic overview we had of Lazarat. It was astonishing. Looking through the window, I could see a couple of people harvesting the buds. That, let me assure you, is some big buds. At the table to my right, a few young men were enjoying a hearty, healthy lunch. Harvest weed all morning, tuck in to a hearty lunch, and then it was back to work. After a few minutes, the other diners stopped paying us any attention. Except, there are no tourists here in Lazarat. Over a delicious, long, lunch — including some great carbonara, some wine, a glass of Raki local spirit , and a perfect macchiato — we decided what to do next. It would go like this. First, we would tell the owner how good his food is. Then, maybe order a couple more drinks. The Albanian member of our crew could casually mention that he is touring us dumb tourists around Albania, to see the sites. Only after he had gained some trust, would he then ask if it was cool to take a few photos of Lazarat, looking out the window at the sea of weed that surrounded us. We relaxed, and tried not to be too obvious in staring out the windows. I savoured the pasta, it was fantastic. As was the Raki. I looked out at the fields, and watched the water trucks continually driving up and down the road. Along with the many, many Mercedes. And the people carrying unmarked boxes and bags. With utter disbelief, I kept looking at the fields. We were just here for the food. Dumb tourists, who somehow ended up in Lazarat, Albania. Soon, it would be time. Time to ask for permission to take a quick holiday snap. The sun was in the right place. Hopefully, politely. I was pretty sure nobody was packing heat. And then the conversation started, in Albanian. For the first few days in Albania, I always thought that everyone was pissed off about everything. Always shaking their heads. I watched as the conversation continued. There were smiles being exchanged between my Albanian friend and the Lazarat restaurant owner, but the body language was indecipherable. The owner was smiling a lot. Big, genuine smiles. I hoped for the best. That people would get really, really annoyed. If we were to take photos, things could change, the situation could get very bad within seconds. People would be angry. Anything could happen. So that was the only solution. In a restaurant situated in the middle of an Albanian mafia stronghold, in a lawless state within a state, where I had been explicitly told not to take photos, the only option seemed to be to slyly grab my backpack that had my camera inside, walk past the old guys sitting behind us, in front of the owner standing at the bar, the young guys sitting at the table, the other group of men that had recently walked in, and carry my backpack into the ladies toilets. I would then lock the door, pull the camera out, and snap away. Well, I guess those photos are better than nothing. But nothing about Lazarat is particularly normal. I wish the citizens of Lazarat all the best of luck, and I apologise in advance for repeatedly ignoring the advice I was given. I loved my stay in Albania, its a beautiful place and the people are kind of friendly. But what made my stay special was the W. He is very discreet and professional, you can email him localdelivery yahoo. Thanks to him, my friends and I had a nice time in Albania. Already planning another trip there. It sounds like it was a very interesting place to experience. Did you just head straight out after lunch? And my lady friend is not yet my wife. You have a gift for finding fresh story angles while traveling. Keep em coming! Thanks Nate. Nice Steve Martin reference also…. I agree that the view are marvelous. It seems a paradise where a hell thing is allowed. This was like a travel spy adventure! What else could be lurking in Albania? Thanks for the great photos! I believe you were being modest when you said that you left the village empty-handed.. The distance between the village and the submarine base, is probably around 50 kilometers of rocky mountains. I live in Tirana, the capital might be different but I smoke myself. Anyways I was suprised to read about our communication oddities, I have never met an Albanian who nods up a down for no and shakes his head for yes. Probably those people were angry for real.. Cheers my friend and keep up the good work. Lisergiko, wtf are you on about mate? Have you only lived outside Albania? All Albanians do the yes and no nodding the opposite to the rest of Europe.. Nate great articles about Albania. Good on you mate. BTW, Gjirokastra is a very cool town, I hope you enjoy living there. I am from Slovakia. We were also in Albania last year. It is beautiful country and the peopke were very friendly. We were in Lazarat but turned it at the first petrol station. My friend was littke afraid :. This year I would like to visit lazarat again, without any camera, just to enjoy being there. Maybe I can find any guide :. Thanx for an great article Nate, i definitely have to go there, did you go there in September? Puff Puff Pass Guys. The prices in Albania are very low in comparison with Western Europe. And they have very good local beer — Tirana owned by Amstel a guess. We were blocked by 2 cars, but my stupid-like smile probably convinced them, that I was harmless. That is too funny and very true! Glad your trip went ok, you just never know with these guys, one wrong look and… Albanians have an amazing hospitality, but I know first hand, they including me are very hot-blooded people. Today is the third day of the Siege. Untill now there are two people seriously injured and another police officer also. Thanks for the update, Lazarati. If you have time, I would be very happy if you could provide more updates. Thank you. I am following the news. Lazarati will be history in few days. NO ONE is killing innocent people. But right now the albanian police and special forces do not want to cause death. Sorry for long post , but I just wanted to clarify things. Sorry for bad english too. The fact that the media is now reporting on the goings on at Lazarat is testament to the new government of Albanian who are waking up to the realities of the world we live in. Albania will never be part of the EU with the corruption and chaos left behind by Sali Berisha and his bunch of dickheads. This includes taking care of Lazarat. Finally some sort of order is being restored. Nobody said that the Lazarat lot are terrorists, but they are the biggest drug dealers the Balkans have ever seen, or indeed are ever like to see again. I think the gravy train has stopped. And also lets not forget of all the season crop farmers that have been taken ill over the years, some very young boys who to try make a half decent living by tending the crops. I mean we are in the middle of Europe for fuck sake….. Can you imaging a village in the middle of Kent in the UK growing crops to this extent and the UK Government doing nothing about it? I think NOT. Lawlessness does not equal coolness and Albania needs to stop this shit, otherwise us Albanians will be associated with drugs and mafia and human trafficking and prostitution for all time to come. We have nothing to offer the world apart from great hospitality and tourism. Hello, what about five years later, ? I read blogs of people going there in , and were not that welcome. I had fun while I was in Albania during my vacation all thanks to this local vendor. Greenie hooked me with top shelf weed and meds. I will recommend everyone here to email Greenie localdelivery \[add\] yahoo com if you need help in scoring top shelf ganja. Your email address will not be published. Albania Albania Lazarat Snickle-Fritz. Hey Darien… that lady was with me that day, she is a friend of mine! Wow…you obviously have a very adventurous wife!! Thanks Daryle. I guess when we visit unique places, unique stories will follow! Now, working on a plan to get back. Kudos to your great story. I enjoyed it. Hi Enxhio. Keep up the good work. I declare Albania open for tourism as of ………. Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published.

Vlore buying marijuana