Tirana’s school drug gangs — and the “Clean Schools” answer

TIRANA, September 27, 2026 – Albanian schools face a troubling reality: teenagers drawn into drug use through peer groups and gangs operating around schoolyards. In response, Tirana authorities have launched the “Clean Schools” program, with police, social workers and psychologists working together, as Syri.net reports.

The program aims to map the networks that push narcotics near schools, increase police patrols in school zones and provide counseling for students at risk.

Officials say the initiative also targets the supply side: identifying and prosecuting dealers who recruit minors as couriers and users.

Education experts welcome the multi-agency approach but warn that repression alone is not enough — prevention, family involvement and after-school activities are equally important.

Drug use among Albanian teenagers has been a growing concern in recent years, with police seizures and school surveys pointing to cannabis as the most common substance, followed by synthetic drugs.