Kosovo is extremely vulnerable to organised crime and thus to
money laundering. In 2000, international agencies estimated that th
e Kosovo drug mafia was supplying up to 40% of the heroin sold in Europe and North America.[12] Due to the
1997 unrest in Albania and the
Kosovo War in 1998–1999 ethnic Albanian traffickers enjoyed a competitive advantage, which has been eroding as the region stabilises.
[6] According to a 2008 report by the
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, overall, ethnic Albanians, not only from Kosovo, supply 10 to 20% of the heroin in Western Europe, and the traffic has been declining.
[6]
From 2001 to 2007, there were 175.84 kg of Heroin seized, 17.34 kg of Cocaine seized and a total of 286.89 kg of Cannabis seized.
[13] Out of the three main smuggling paths for Europe, Kosovo is in only one of the chains. It acts as one of the transit countries between Afghanistan and Italy.
[6]