Albania has turned into an economic haven where criminal organizations generate hundreds of millions of Euros each year without fearing their money could be sequestered by law.

Despite hundreds of millions generated by the crime industry in Albania, last year the Directorate for the Prevention of Money Laundering sequestered only 8 million Euros in crime property. This is one of the lowest levels of sequestering the money that comes from illegal activities which makes Albania a real economic haven for criminality.

According to an official report of the United Nations, the drugs traffic only generates at least €300 million each year in the Albanian economy. This is a minimalist estimation, considering that Head of OSCE Presence in Albania Bernd Borchardt declared publicly the income of drugs traffic in Albania is estimated as much as €2 billion per year.

This is drugs money only and if you add the income from other criminal activity such as corruption or other traffics, then the crime industry in Albania is much bigger.

Though the exact figures may be debatable, one thing is certain: The criminals enjoy their benefits untroubled by the law.

The blocked assets last year were less then o.4% of the money supposedly generated by the criminal organizations in Albania. Official data by Europol say that EU member countries block assets in a percentage at least five times higher than in Albania.