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The traffic of heroin is the main criminal activity in the so-called South East criminal hub in Europe, according to the Europol Report.
Europol, or the European Police Office, released their Europol Organized Crime Threat Assessment (OCTA) in which the criminal activities on the old continent are divided in five hubs where the hub is a conceptual entity that is generated by a combination of factors such as proximity to major destination markets, geographic location, infrastructure, types of organized crime groups and migration processes concerning key criminals or organized crime groups in general.
The OCTA is an assessment of current and expected trends in organized crime affecting the EU and its citizens. Based on analysis Europol assess that the most significant criminal sectors now are drug trafficking, human trafficking, illegal immigration, fraud, counterfeiting and money laundering.
Bulgaria falls within the South East hub where the “Balkan route” from Turkey to the EU is used for heroin traffic by Turkish criminals, often in cooperation with Bulgarian crime groups.
“The South East criminal hub is based upon its geographical location between Asia and Europe. Logistically, the importance of the Black Sea and related waterways define the hub and will create opportunities for both legal trade and organized crime. Opiates reach Europe through the Balkan routes and the Northern Black Sea route across Central Asia and Russia. The significance of the port of Constanta in cocaine traffic is growing, and cocaine seems to be increasingly arriving into the EU via Turkey and/or the Balkans. This may also be the effect of the already well-established role of West Africa as a transit zone,” the report reads.
Bulgarians and Serbians also play key role in the traffic of synthetic drugs to the Middle East. Nigerian criminal groups, residing in Bulgaria, are in constant touch with such Nigerian groups in Italy providing cocaine for the Italian market, Europol notes.
In addition to synthetic drugs Bulgaria plays a key role in the distribution of counterfeit EUR bills and fake bank debit and credit cards.
The Southeastern hub is also very active in cigarettes contraband from the Ukraine and Moldova to the EU. In addition, the Ukraine is a transit center for cocaine, human trafficking and illegal immigrants through Albania, Serbia, Kosovo, Monte Negro and Macedonia to the EU.
The other hubs are:
1) The North West criminal hub. It is a distribution centre for heroin, cocaine, synthetic drugs and cannabis products. Its influence extends to the UK, Ireland, France, Spain, Germany and the Baltic and Scandinavian countries.
2) The South West criminal hub. The impact of this market is felt especially in the criminal markets of cocaine, cannabis, trafficking in human beings and illegal immigration. West and North West Africa as well as other parts of this continent have emerged as significant feeders for either the South West criminal hub or, increasingly, directly to important markets and distribution centers in the EU.
3) The North East criminal hub. This area is and will continue to be strongly influenced by feeders and transit zones located just outside the eastern EU borders (the Russian Federation/Kaliningrad, the Ukraine and Belarus). Illicit flows may be traced from the East towards the West (women for sexual exploitation, illegal immigrants, cigarettes, counterfeit goods, synthetic drugs precursors and heroin) but also vice versa (cocaine and cannabis products).
4) The Southern criminal hub. The role of this hub is central in relation to cigarette smuggling, the smuggling and distribution of counterfeit products and the production of counterfeit EUR bills.
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