Albanians Muscling in on UK Cocaine Market, Police Say

Albanian crime gangs are assuming a leading role in the UK's cocaine trade, the London Times reported on Thursday, citing new data from the police's National Crime Agency - which reported on this phenomenon last year.

A table listing the 4,600 known crime gangs on the police's radar showed Albanians "overtaking" Romanians for the first time in 2017.

British born gangs remain by far the most numerous, comprising 70 per cent of the total, followed by ethnic Pakistanis.

However, Albanian gangs have now moved into third place, the Times reported, up from eights place in only three years.

Of other gangs, it said Chinese gangs had moved up from 12th to seventh place over the same period, while Iraqi gangs had moved up from 15th pace to ninth.

Data show that 90 per cent of UK gang members are male, 70 per cent are from the UK but only 60 per cent are white, black and Asian ethnicities being heavily over-represented compared to their overall share of the population.

The data come from the NCA's crime group mapping project.

In June 2017, the NCA's annual report said Albanian gangs had gained "considerable control" over drug trafficking operations in the UK.

UK police have expressed concern before over the speedy rise of Albanian gangs in the UK, given their small numbers.

NCA deputy director general Matthew Horne told the BBC: "It's very much a group that's small in number but big in impact.

The 2017 NCA report stated that staff corruption at ports and airports was a "key vulnerability", making it easier to smuggle in drugs and bring in illegal immigrants.

It also warned that criminals from the Balkans generally "are increasingly expanding their network of influence, forming direct relationships...