From Lazarat to Canada: How Cannabis Trafficking in Albania Is Changing

A decade ago, Europol considered Albania one of the main sources of cannabis trafficked to EU countries. Lazarat, a village near Gjirokastër in southern Albania known for its massive cannabis cultivation until the 2014 police crackdown, was widely labeled in the international media as the “European cannabis capital”.

Now, Albania is no longer just a country that grows and exports the narcotic plant. In just 19 days, from August 22 to September 9, State Police seized three shipments of 233.7 kilograms of cannabis sent from Canada.

Two of the shipments, with a combined weight of 187.7 kilograms and a market value of around 2.2 million euros, arrived by container at the Port of Durrës, where vehicles bought in Canada are suspected of having been used to hide the drugs. Another shipment of 46 kilograms was caught at Rinas airport, hidden in suitcases.

The seizures in Albania are part of a broader trend in the European drug market.

The EU Drugs Agency, EUDA, has warned about the growing quantities of herbal cannabis trafficked to Europe from Canada and the United States. According to the agency, the trend is linked to overproduction, competition and lower prices in the North American market.

Canada legalized the production, sale and use of cannabis for adults in 2018, but exporting it outside authorized channels remains illegal.

Cannabis has continued to dominate narcotics seizures in Albania during 2026. According to the State Police’s monthly reports, apart from the Canadian import cases, in just the first four months of the year more than 736 kilograms of cannabis were seized — around 186 kg in January, 490 kg in February, over 50 kg in March and around 10 kg in April.

‘Gelato’ from Canada

The two shipments caught in Durrës on August 22 and September 9 contained a total of 187.7 kilograms of Cannabis sativa, of the type known on the market as “Gelato”, due to its high percentage of the psychoactive substance tetrahydrocannabinol, THC.

The high THC content makes this type of cannabis stronger and, consequently, more expensive on the illegal market.

According to State Police, the two quantities seized in Durrës would together have reached a market value of around 2.2 million euros.

A source from the Durrës Prosecution Office told BIRN, on condition of anonymity, that this type of cannabis is usually grown indoors, in so-called “weed houses”, where growing conditions can be controlled to increase THC concentration.

According to the same source, in the case of the first shipment the vehicle had been bought in Canada and had Kosovo as its final destination. Investigations also found that the declared seller and buyer of the vehicle were the same person, a citizen of both Kosovo and Canada.

On August 22, State Police announced the seizure of around 80 kilograms of cannabis, with an estimated market value of around 1 million euros. Three Kosovo citizens were arrested, while two other people — one from Kukës and a Kosovar citizen residing in Canada — were declared wanted.

According to police, the drugs had been secured in Ontario and transported to Albania hidden in a specially modified compartment in a vehicle ordered in Canada.

The cannabis was divided into 127 packages, while the vehicle was transported to Albania inside a sea container.

Investigators suspect the people involved had defined roles in securing, hiding, transporting and then distributing the cannabis from Canada to Albania and Kosovo.

Six days later, on August 28, another shipment of cannabis from Canada was caught, this time at Rinas airport. Police and customs authorities found 89 packages with around 46 kilograms of Cannabis sativa, hidden in two suitcases, with an estimated market value of around 250 thousand euros.

In the operation codenamed “Suitcases”, police arrested a 34-year-old and criminally charged two women. According to State Police, investigations are continuing with special methods to identify other people who may be involved in the trafficking.

On September 9, a third shipment of 107.7 kilograms of “Gelato” cannabis was seized at the Port of Durrës. Police estimated its value at around 1.2 million euros.

The shipment was discovered during the inspection of a container arriving from Canada, inside which were two vehicles and a camper.

In modified compartments of the camper, covered with wooden paneling, police found 190 packages of cannabis. Also seized were 43 electronic cigarettes, some of which carried labels declaring high THC content.

Two people were declared wanted.

Police said that in this case too the drugs were suspected of having been secured in Canada and then hidden in vehicles bought there for transport to Albania.

Investigations continue to identify the other people involved and to determine the shipment’s final destination.

A new corridor to Europe

Albania’s cases are small compared to the quantities of Canadian cannabis being caught in Europe’s main ports.