Smuggling continues openly, despite the state changing from “blue” to “pink.” Albanian customs are perhaps the only places in Albania where the unapproved “No smoking” law is enforced. Instead of cigarettes, Albanian customs officers and police officers prefer packets of lekë, dollars, drachmas or lire. All it took was an alarm raised by the press for two trucks carrying smuggled cigarettes and several vans to be seized within 48 hours. But, just as in the past five years, everything ends and begins here. At best, the cigarettes are locked away in some customs warehouse to be sold at clandestine auctions. Three months ago, seized cigarettes were “unseized” at night by police officers and resumed their journey to their destination. No news or notice was given of any police officer being referred to the prosecutor’s office or a court on the charge of “complicity in a crime.” Even when smuggled goods are seized, everything remains anonymous. The smuggler-owner is called a “truck,” the driver is called an unknown and innocent “truck,” while the recipient of the goods never exists. At best, the “truck” smugglers are made to pay customs duties and are released to get back to work. It seems that smuggling is the only thing that cannot be called a crime in Albania. Over the past five years, only one trial has been held against a smuggler, and even that person was not an Albanian citizen. No professional smuggler is fazed if the state seizes a shipment from them. From just one truckload of L&M cigarettes, if the owner does not pay the state duty, they make 150,000 US dollars. During these months, around 70 trucks must have entered Albania behind the state’s back. It is easy to understand that, with the two trucks seized these days, the smugglers have merely been tickled. Criminalistics experts know of cases in which smugglers, to make up for the state’s “losses,” themselves give away a few trucks. And the state shouts, “I caught them.” The state either engages in smuggling or plays games with smuggling. If there were a will to fight this crime, there would be no need to encircle the border with barbed-wire fencing. All members of the government cabinet, like the entire population, buy smuggled goods every day—goods without the famous fiscal stamp. No one is concerned, although crime grows richer while honest businesses are destroyed. Smuggling is not fought by making deals with honest police officers at the roadblocks on the Ballsh bends or at the Mifol bridge. Crime must first be fought where lawlessness is rampant: in Tirana.

MP Maks Hasani, who declared himself a communist, pays tribute at Enver Hoxha’s grave. Photo: B. ÇOTA

Tough measures for migrant traffickers All watercraft will be registered. Those without licenses will be confiscated. Around 60 speedboats are located along the coast of Vlora. The figure is confirmed by sources from the Police Directorate of this district. The same sources state that a considerable number of the moored speedboats have no documents and were obtained mainly through robberies. According to these sources, this is yet another reason to ensure their seizure, because it is already well known that speedboats moored along the coast of Vlora and further afield have been used mainly to traffic undocumented migrants. F 11

US President sends holiday greetings to Meidani Clinton: We stand by Albania P. 3 European Parliament appeals to Berisha PD, return to parliament P. 5 Prime Minister cuts the ribbon at the International Fair Nano ignores VEFA Holding P. 15 After the tragedy: More visas for Albanians The Italian “sweep” begins on 30 November P. 11 Police remember to fight smuggling in Sarandë First truckload of cigarettes seized P. 15 Little hope of the ships stranded in Italy returning The Albanian fleet in Italian graveyards P. 7 They had set off for Vlora but return to Macedonia Kurdish migrants caught P. 10