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Investigation

Refugee Smuggling Networks Along Kosovo-Albania Border Profit Millions Using Blackmail and Violence

Armed smugglers controlling illegal routes along the Kosovo–Albania border violently extorted refugees fleeing war-torn countries. KALLXO.com exposes a network of groups making millions of euros of profit from human desperation.

In 2022, a refugee was allegedly murdered in Kosovo after refusing to submit to the people smuggling groups along the Vërmicë border between Kosovo and Albania. The Prizren Basic Prosecution is investigating the case. 

“These groups are well organised,” Petrit Kryeziu, Prizren’s Chief Prosecutor declared. “Our border is usually used as a corridor to reach other areas. Most of the migrants come from Turkey or Greece and use Kosovo to cross into Albania, or they use Kosovo to reach Serbia, then Hungary, and eventually other parts of the EU,” he explained.

“In 2022 alone, we investigated 38 suspects for migrant smuggling. Some are locals familiar with the terrain who provide logistical support,” Kryeziu added.

An investigation that aired on June 8 on the Kallxo Përnime TV Programme uncovered a network of migrant smuggling operating along the Kosovo-Albania border in Vërmicë. They shared  exclusive evidence of armed men patrolling illegal routes, threatening refugees, and violently enforcing payments for passage into neighbouring countries, towards the EU.

Refugees attempting to cross without paying a toll were subjected to beatings, threats with automatic rifles, and in at least one case, fatal violence. 

The footage shows armed smugglers, some carrying Kalashnikov rifles, physically assaulting refugees who refused to pay.  

The images of ammunition, often recorded and circulated on social media by the smugglers themselves, serve as tools for intimidating refugees still en route.

Unchecked routes and big profits

Two smuggling trails near Vërmicë were found to be largely unmonitored by police patrols. This allowed the smugglers to guide refugees into the country where vehicles were waiting to transport them deeper into Kosovo and onward into neighbouring Western Balkan countries—with the European Union as a final destination.

Between 2022 and 2023, more than 2,000 refugees were caught along these crossings, both at the Kosovo-Albania and Kosovo–North Macedonia borders.

Kosovo Police Major Blerim Rama said that many smugglers initially entered Kosovo as refugees themselves.

“These groups [of smugglers] embed themselves among refugees, study our border patrol routines, and quickly learn how to exploit gaps in enforcement,” Rama said. 

“Once inside Kosovo, they guide refugees across the territory, sometimes as far as the highways, where vehicles transport them toward other borders.”

Sasa Dragoljo, a BIRN journalist, based in Belgrade, who has investigated smuggling routes near the Serbia-Hungary border in Subotica, notes that the trade is extremely lucrative.

“Refugee smuggling in the Balkans is estimated to generate over 50 million euros per year,” Dragoljo said. 

“In the past two years, we’ve noticed that the route, which previously went through Serbia toward the EU, has now been redirected mainly through Bosnia, Croatia, and Italy. This shift has led to increased violence along the Balkan routes—primarily by border police, who are under pressure not only from local governments but also from the EU to prevent illegal crossings.” he emphasised.

According to him, tightening of border security has led to more violence.

“The stricter the controls, the more brutal the smugglers become,” Dragoljo added. “Refugees are now being robbed and beaten in exchange for safe passage.”

“These routes are well known to smugglers and criminal groups and are absolutely used for other activities as well, such as drug and arms trafficking.”

The Kosovo Police has continued monitoring the Vërmicë region using advanced thermal drones and regular patrols. 

A group operating there is now behind bars, following several operations carried out by the Kosovo Police.

“As long as instability continues in the Middle East and beyond,” Rama emphasised, “people will keep coming. And as long as they do, there will be someone ready to exploit them.”

English version prepared by Ardita Zeqiri

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