MACEDONIAN PAPER LISTS REGIONAL ROUTES FROM
DRUGS SMUGGLING, HUMAN TRAFFICKING
BBC Monitoring - June 9, 2004
Report by Macedonian newspaper Nova Makedonija on 8 June
Over the past few years, mostly arms, oil, people and cattle have been smuggled
through these border crossings (illegal border crossings on the
Macedonian-Serbian border). Now mostly drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, medicines and
small cattle are smuggled.
The unresolved issue of the demarcation of the border between the Republic of
Macedonia and Serbia-Montenegro, on the part with Kosovo, is causing serious
problems in regulating border crossings. This is the major reason for the
existence of many illegal border crossings through which all sorts of goods are
smuggled intensively. Despite the regular army and police controls, the
residents in the border area are most frequently the key "players" who have
developed smuggling channels, so that the border patrols cannot trace them and
prevent illegal trade. The residents, that is, the younger residents in these
undeveloped rural areas, are increasingly being involved in smuggling, because
they have no full-time jobs or a safe financial source for their family's
survival.
Smuggling is primarily going on through the illegal border crossings near the
villages of Lojane, Sopot, Susevo, Algunja and Pelince, on the Macedonian side
of the border; and Miratovac, Asane, Cukarka, Slavujevac and Prohor Pcinjski, on
the Serbian side of the border. Over the past few years, arms, people, oil and
cattle have been greatly smuggled through these crossings, whereas now drugs,
alcohol, medicines, cigarettes, and other smaller goods are smuggled in smaller
quantities.
One of the latest cases, registered by the SVR (Internal Affairs Sector)
Kumanovo, happened last month. In the house of brothers I. M. and M. M. in the
village of Algunja 2.6 tonnes of alcohol, that is, 2,604 bottles of cognac and
brandy, smuggled from Serbia-Montenegro and intended for the Kumanovo black
market, were found. The total amount of the alcohol amounted to 1 million denars,
whereas with the unpaid excise the smugglers denied the country of 300,000
denars. The smuggling of cattle through this border crossing has also been
rather frequent over the past few years. The smuggling of small livestock,
mostly sheep and pigs, has been most frequent because they are cheaper in Serbia
than in Macedonia. Whole flocks of sheep were smuggled here, some of which were
infected with brucellosis, and were then sold on the black market, which caused
the uncontrolled spread of this dangerous disease throughout the entire country.
In the same period, oil was also smuggled to a large extent, which was then sold
illegally at a higher price. In this way, the key smugglers had a great profit
from this illegal business. However, because the prices of oil on the Macedonian
and Serbian market have been equated, this type of smuggling is not as frequent
as it used to be.
During the conflict in the crisis regions, the border crossings near Lojane,
Sopot and the mountainous Lipkovo villages of Brest and Izvor were the main
border zones for the uncontrolled smuggling of arms for the needs of the
Albanian paramilitary formations. Mostly Kosovo and Lipkovo Albanians are
controlling the organized human trafficking through the alternative border
crossings near the villages of Lojane and Sopot. They are bringing women from
Romania, Moldova, Ukraine and Russia into the country and are then selling them
to Macedonian brothel owners in Aracinovo, Tetovo, Struga and Gostivar to work
as prostitutes.
Those in the know say that the smuggling across the illegal border crossings on
the northern border cannot be controlled until the borderline is fully
demarcated and all contentious points are removed, so that the border with
Serbia and Kosovo will be strictly delimited. Crossing the border will thus
become official and new border crossings may be opened.
Despite the strict police and customs control at the official border crossings
of Tabanovce and Pelince on the Macedonian-Serbian border, there are often cases
of smuggling of all kinds of goods, especially alcohol, drugs and medicines. One
of the numerous examples of this is the seizure of 30 kilograms of heroin, worth
about half a million euros and intended for the Italian market. A. H. from
Tetovo, who is employed in Italy, tried to take the drugs outside the country.
The Kumanovo Court of First Instance sentenced A. H. to five years and five
months in prison for illegal production and smuggling of narcotics, psychotropic
substances, and precursors. The drugs have been seized.
The smuggling of medicines, vitamins, herbal teas and cosmetics is committed
through developed routes not only in the neighbouring, but also in the eastern
countries. These goods are mostly used to supply private pharmacies, chains of
pharmacies, veterinary wards, and the country's green markets. Last month, at
the Tabanovce border crossing, on the highway to Macedonia, S. Z. from Skopje
was found in possession of 4,100 packages of medicines and vitamins. He
concealed the smuggled goods in the driver's compartment of the track he was
using to transport lampposts to Skopje. A few days later, during a routine
control at the same border crossing, the police found 450 packages of medicines,
vitamins, cosmetics and 148 bottles of Russian vodka, worth 230,000 denars, in a
bus going from Moscow to Athens, which was driven by Greek citizen Georgios
Kesov.
Apart from the border zone, the streets next to the Kumanovo marketplace are
flooded with Bulgarian smugglers who sell different kinds of goods for wide
consumption, mostly food, textile, cosmetics, and so forth.
Source: Nova Makedonija, Skopje, in Macedonian 8
Jun 04 p 4
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