Albanians play leading role in Amsterdam underworld: police

Albanian criminals are increasingly playing leading roles in organized crime in Amsterdam, according to a so-called trend analysis by the Amsterdam police. They are mainly engaged in cocaine trafficking, but also in human trafficking and property fraud, NU.nl reports.

According to the police, these Albanian criminals lead the cocaine import from South America, the transhipment via the port of Rotterdam, and the further distribution to other European countries from Amsterdam. In addition to the Netherlands, Albanians are also very active in the drug trade in Great Britain.

The number of Albanian criminals active in Amsterdam's underworld continues to increase, according to the police.

There is much more firearm violence around cocaine trafficking than with other drugs. The police see a growing use of illegal firearms, including automatic firearms, which come from conflict areas in Ukraine, Syria, Mali, and Libya. There is also many weapons from Russia, where the army has written off 4 million Kalashnikov rifles.

The assassinations in Amsterdam over the past years are all linked to the cocaine trade, the police said. These assassinations are usually carried out by young Amsterdam residents, and the victims are usually also young Amsterdam residents. According to the police's trend analysis, the people who carry out the assassinations are contract killers. There is even an extensive network of intermediaries and executors. All people who have hired a contract killer are involved in the cocaine trade, the police said.

Earlier this year Amsterdam police chief Pieter-Jaap Aalbersberg raised concern about the perpetrators of assassinations increasingly being young amateurs, who will kill someone for as little as 3 thousand euros.

The analysis also shows that cybercrime is a major problem in the Dutch capital. One in eight Amsterdam residents have dealt with cybercrime like hacking or ransomware. That's more people than fall victim to bicycle theft. According to the police, cyber criminals are getting better and better at hiding themselves, but still leave many digital traces.