’92–’96, only 5 km of new road, 5 million USD. ’97–’00, 10 expressway sections, 250 million USD PAGE 6

Who is the “chief agronomist” overseeing entire areas planted with hashish? And who is the “merchandiser” organizing the collection and sale of the goods? By Erion Braçe Yesterday’s seizure in Vlora of an extraordinary quantity of drugs, 250 kg, unprecedented in Albania, naturally marks another successful response by the anti-crime forces in Albania. This time also in the field of drug trafficking. This is because yesterday’s quantity follows, just a few weeks earlier, a quantity of around 220 kg of drugs seized in Tirana, newly arrived from Turkey. Nevertheless, figures of this extraordinary scale for any other European country prompt one to think about the existence of an extremely organized network operating both inside and outside the country. So far, the Albanian police have shown us spectacular quantities of drugs seized and spectacular numbers of narcotic-plant roots destroyed across ever-larger areas of the country; but to date they have shown us only “the tail end of the affair”: impoverished peasants, already-paid-off dealers or sleepless carriers in this network, which will very often become the greatest serious threat to Albania. We cannot see the “Boss” of this trafficking; we cannot see the chief agronomist overseeing the expanding areas planted with the terrible cannabis plant; we cannot see the merchandiser organizing the harvesting and sale of the enriching, crime-producing, death-bringing “product.” Just as, despite the great attention paid to the influx of undocumented migrants rushing into Albania from neighboring “friendly” countries, we still cannot see who is the head of this trafficking, which, strangely, enjoys secure routes from Turkey through Greece and Macedonia to Albania. So now the head must be struck, and that will be the test of the Albanian police’s growth, its professionalism, and also its courage to strike at the heart of crime.

Police seize an extraordinary quantity of drugs in Vlora, bound for Italy In the photo: A child feeding turkeys with cannabis “fruit,” in one of the many fields planted with the new drug. Photo: “Zëri”

Viktor Harizi, 28, born in Kaninë and resident in Vlora, was transporting it PAGE 2

Following the order to collect payment for electricity sold KESH special forces launch their assault on Tirana’s bars: We want the money for the lights • Hoxha: Show me a shop where goods are given away for free. What about KESH? • Irony: State institutions are increasing their electricity consumption: from 90 thousand KW/h before rationing to 120 thousand KW/h now • KESH collects six months’ payments: 3.2% more than in ’99 PAGE 7

Inflation falls, wages are guaranteed, the currency stabilizes Food, poultry and tiles become cheaper In July, prices fell by 2.7 percent compared with June. “Food and clothing items” — 9.3%, “Education, entertainment, culture” — 9%, “Food, drink, tobacco” — 4%, “Dairy products and eggs” — 1.3%, “Fruit, vegetables” — 14.6%, of which fruit 15.6% and vegetables 13.3%, etc. PAGE 8

320–350 MILLION IN TOURISM REVENUE; NEARLY 700 THOUSAND PEOPLE TOOK HOLIDAYS AND ARE SPENDING The number of tourists exceeds forecasts, more than 700 thousand PAGE 9

POÇI: THE TIME WHEN THE POLICE WERE ORDERED TO “KILL” VOTES IN THE INTEREST OF POLITICS IS OVER The police will enforce only the law PAGE 5

SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, 61 “WANTED” PERSONS HAVE BEEN ARRESTED police operations; heavy weapons found in their homes PAGE 3

ARTUR VOCI ARRESTED, CONVICTED IN ABSENTIA PAGE 3

Pukë / The killing in Fierzë two days ago had no political motive whatsoever, despite the PD • The truth is that the commune secretary has taken the side of the driver and the commune chairman, who politically belong to the PD PAGE 2