Dacic: A lack of control in Kosovo makes route for illegal trade of narcotics so attractive
Close to 80 percent of the heroin smuggled from Afghanistan to Europe goes through the Balkans, says Serbia's Interior Minister Ivica Dacic.
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Monday, October 11, 2010
A lack of efficient control in Kosovo is what makes this route so attractive, he told a conference in Sochi, Russia.
"We frequently talk with European and U.S. services and they know that there are many criminal groups in Kosovo involved in the illegal trade of narcotics, primarily heroin," Dacic told Russian state news agency Itar-Tass.
A two-day high-level conference on security was held in Sochi, with officials from 44 countries participating.
"There is no rule of law in Kosovo now and this is the result," Dacic said.
Serbian authorities do not have a presence in Kosovo, and the international authorities do not have mechanisms to fight criminal groups, he added.
"I think everyone understands that this is not just a Serbian or Balkan problem, it is a European problem," Dacic said.
