Crypto Playing ‘Growing Role’ in Crime Across Western Balkans: NGO

Criminals use the increasing use of cryptocurrencies in Western Balkan countries such as Albania and Serbia, show research from the global initiative against transnational organized crime (GI-TOC).

Write u One of two new risk bulletin For this month, a non -governmental organization based in Geneva revealed that the crypto seized crypto still remains a big challenge in the Balkans, and Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, Northern Macedonia and Serbia are only three documented cases of the intimidation of the crypto property. “

The bulletin explained that the illegal use of cryptocurrencies has grown into a tandem with legitimate purposes, because the amount of transactions in the region sits somewhere between $ 25 and $ 30 billion.

In this context, Montenegro has become the main European node for the use of cryptocurrencies in the Darknet markets, while the use of cryptocurrency for washing revenue from drug revenue in recent years in Albania and Serbia, according to Per. Early Gi-toc Bulletin of December.

Said Sasa Djorljevic, Gi-Toc’s older analyst for the Western Balkans, said Decipher That the crypto currencies “play a growing role in criminal activities in the Western Balkans”, with the region also had growth used for fraud and illegally cryptocurrencies.

“Drug trade groups are increasingly using cryptocurrencies to move and hide profits,” he said. “Some suspicious transactions associated with criminal networks from the Western Balkans are valid with tens of millions of euros, often transferred through cryptocurrencies and reinposed into legal companies.”

Djorjevic also notes that such patterns tend to mirror the famous cocaine trade routes from Latin America to Europe, while Gi-Toc noticed the links between criminal actors in the Western Balkans and Darknet markets like Hydra, before his extinguishing 2022.

A growing problem

The latest Gi-Toc newsletter suggests that illegal use will continue to grow in the region, since local authorities are struggling to be in progress with such use in terms of regulations, technical expertise and cross-border cooperation.

“Currently, only three of the six Western Balkans have adopted the laws on digital property, and the implementation has yet to start in one of them,” Djorjevic explained.

Three countries Djordjevic refer to Albania, Serbia and Kosovo here, the last of which in November is the legislation of the crypto currency – but the trigger act is required for implementation have not yet been adopted.

“Although the EU Clear Decree offers a way to more powerful supervision, complete and consistent implementation throughout the region remains challenging, because the Western Balkans is not yet part of the EU,” he added. “Until regulatory and executive capacities are strengthened, the region will remain vulnerable to the illegal crypto activity.”

As mentioned above, the Western Balkans has only three documented cases of the Crypto seizure, all of which have happened in the last few years.

The latest of them involved the seizure of the property that belonged to the Albanian crime union, which was the target of surgery between November 2024 and January 2025.

Working in cooperation with the unidentified Stablecoin operator and the main cryptocurrency, forces from Albania, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and Europol seized cash, bank accounts and other property, including hardware banknotes of $ 10 million in cryptocurrencies.

Playing compensation

However, such examples are still small and far between, and for Djorjevic and Gi-toc, the situation will not improve until the region authorities are in step with the pace of changes.

Not only does it mean that governments should “adopt and carry out clear regulations” for monitoring and seizing illegal cryptocurrency, but that police implementation must “invest in advanced blockchain tools” and specialized training.

“Implementation of the recommendation of the FATF -AI EU rules is key to the key, especially for the countries previously on the Fatf Gray list,” Djordjevic said, adding that the cooperation with Europol, Interpol and other national agencies is also necessary.