OSCE Mission helps improve regional co-operation in combating drug trafficking

Bahri is a Kosovo Albanian who lives in Prishtinë/Priština and works for the Kosovo Police. Sašo is a Macedonian who lives in Skopje, and works for the police there. While they speak different languages, they do share a common goal: to help create an environment free from the threats posed by drug trafficking.

Bahri Shala is Chief of the Kosovo Police’s investigation section for drug trafficking and Sašo Trpcevski is Deputy Chief of the counter-narcotic section in the police of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Bahri explains that Kosovo and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia are mainly used for the transit of narcotics en route to western Europe, adding: “This can be stopped only through close regional co-operation.”

The international drug trade is complex, and both men are aware of the difficult challenges involved, but also hope that with time things will improve: “While we need to work on building experience and professional capacity, establishing trust is what matters most,” says Bahri. “Regional co-operation is not going to happen if we look at each other with our fingers over our eyes.”

“In joint international narcotics investigations you can only work based on trust,” confirms Sašo. “The more information we exchange with each other the more trust we build.”

Trust matters

An exercise in controlled delivery served as an excellent opportunity for Bahri and Sašo to work together for the first time. ‘Controlled delivery’ describes an operation where police monitor the supply and delivery of illegal substances in order to gather evidence and intelligence to secure successful prosecutions.

When dealing with international drug smuggling, a great deal of trust and co-operation is required, as police have to monitor criminals, letting them pass across international borders unhindered, in order to complete the operation.

This not only requires trust between governments and police forces, but also willingness to work together in tough circumstances. The OSCE, as a co-operative security organization, has the necessary skills and expertise to help.

The controlled delivery exercise was designed and financed by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, and concluded in Prishtinë/Priština on 11 March 2011. “It served us as a test whether we are prepared to regionally co-operate in the area of counter narcotic-drugs,” explains Sašo.

OSCE Project Co-ordinator Ibrahim Gultekin says that controlled delivery operations aim to bring together various law enforcement agencies to combat organized trafficking networks. “Sharing information and conducting joint operations at the regional level is a key element to success,” says Ibrahim.

According to Ibrahim, the practical exercise involved a total of seven law enforcement agencies from across the region. “It aimed to assess regional co-operation mechanisms, identify shortcomings and provide recommendations on how to better investigate and combat drug trafficking,” he says.

He explains the scenario in greater detail: a vehicle with a consignment resembling an illegal substance started its journey from Turkey through Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to a sale and distribution point in Kosovo. From there it was further distributed to a sale point in Montenegro through Albania and delivered to Germany by air via Slovenia.

“During this practical exercise the Kosovo Police proved to be a trustworthy and qualified partner in international police co-operation,” says Ibrahim

Delivering co-operation

“The exercise demonstrated that information-sharing is essential in combating drug trafficking,” said Director of the OSCE Mission’s Security and Public Safety Department, Carsten Twelmeier. “We therefore recommended establishing an internal communication mechanism to the Kosovo Police, to ensure the smooth flow of intelligence.”

The skills acquired during the exercise were applied in practice soon after. Following several weeks of investigation, the Kosovo Police conducted a real operation through several towns in Kosovo, in a joint operation with police from the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

According to a police report, 17 people were arrested. “During the search operation we seized 47 kg of marijuana, two vehicles and two digital scales,” confirms Bahri. “I hope that this will serve as an example to further strengthen co-operation with all regional partners.”

By Hasan Sopa