The confiscation of cannabis has increased in Montenegro, while the amount of confiscated heroin and cocaine is still small, said Andre Lis, Head of the Sector for Implementation of IPA Projects at the Delegation of the European Union (EU) in Podgorica.
Today, at the expert meeting "Legislative framework and criminal offenses in the field of drug abuse in the Western Balkan countries", he assessed that the progress of Montenegro is evident not only in legal changes but also in practice, with a significant increase in confiscated drugs in the last year.
"However, while seizures of cannabis by the police and the Customs Administration, both on the territory of Montenegro and at the borders, are on the rise, the amount of heroin and cocaine seized is still very small," Lis said.
He stated that he hopes that the recently released SOCTA report for the past year will allow law enforcement agencies to deal with the problem of drug trafficking in a more effective way.
"On your way to the EU, it is necessary to improve statistical reporting in terms of the collection and definition of drug-related offenses, including information on the arrest, prosecution and conviction of all those related to drug-related offenses," Lis believes.
He highlighted the recent joint activities of Montenegro and Serbia, which resulted in locating and arresting the most wanted fugitive accused of drug trafficking and money laundering, Darko Šarić.
Lis referred to the report on the illicit drug trade throughout Southeast Europe, explaining that the document highlights the need for effective suppression of drug trade in order to strengthen peace, stability, security and freedom in the region.
"The findings of the UNODC /United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime/ point to the increasing sensitivity of the countries of the Western Balkans in the part of the flow of heroin, which is estimated at around 60 tons per year through Southeast Europe, while the seizures of this type of drug are still small," stated Lis.
Good progress in legislative progress
The head of the Department for Drugs in the Ministry of Health, Jasna Sekulić, said that Montenegro has made great progress in creating a legislative and strategic framework in the field of drugs, in a high degree of compliance with the EU acquis.
"We are now in a much more demanding phase of application and practical realization of the legislative and strategic direction," Sekulić said.
According to her, without training and continuous transfer of knowledge and good practices, it is not possible to achieve administrative and institutional progress.
"In this context, we want to enable our experts, representatives of institutions and institutions to gain insight into new knowledge and European practices with the aim of incorporating them into our system, by participating in and organizing gatherings of this profile in the coming period," said Sekulić.
She explained that when it comes to the collection, processing, analysis, and evaluation of data from the field of drugs, which are in the function of monitoring and monitoring the situation in that field, they must be, as she stated, in accordance with the unique prescribed and defined frameworks of the European Center for monitoring.
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