Organised Crime Gangs UK
By: Clare Hocking
Albanian criminal groups have gained significant control over the UK’s organised crime, particularly in drug trafficking, prostitution, and human trafficking. Albanian gangs took over London's sex trade by the early 2000s and later expanded into the cocaine market. Albanian gangs have established direct connections with Latin American cocaine suppliers, enabling them to offer high-quality products at competitive prices. This business model has allowed them to outpace competitors and gain dominance in the UK. Albanian gangs control of the UK’s cocaine market, is estimated to be worth £6 billion by the British Home Office.
Known for their willingness to use violence and to exploit vulnerable people, these groups have become key players in the UK's drugs, prostitution, money laundering and human trafficking trades.
Authorities have recognised Albanian organised crime as an "acute threat”. In 2021, police arrested nearly 1,500 people across the country in raids that seized drugs and cash worth over £2 million. Unfortunately this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Albanian criminal groups have also been instrumental in establishing “county lines,” which are drug distribution networks moving narcotics from cities to rural and coastal areas. Over time, they have established hubs outside of London, recruiting and smuggling more gang members from Albania and resident teenagers into illicit activities such as cocaine distribution, prostitution, and human trafficking.
Albanian criminal organisations are highly proficient at laundering their profits, often using the likes of barbers, cash only businesses, car washes and criminal money transfer services. They send illicit cash internationally using untraceable methods, including collaborating with other criminal groups like Turkish, Chinese and Mexican cartels and banks and investment companies.
Their success stems from strong organisation, reliable drug supply chains, and the ability to freely traffic vulnerable young girls and women across Europe and into the UK with very little intervention from the organisations charged with policing their activities.
Stopping the influx of drugs and trafficked sex workers requires herculean effort and commitment but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done. Identifying a few simple steps and encouraging people to apply them is a basic but necessary start. Human trafficking for the sex industry is a global problem that requires a multifaceted approach to effectively combat it.
Solutions and Actionable Steps
We need to demand that the government strengthens Laws and Enforcement we need stronger penalties for traffickers and increased protection for victims.
We need to establish joint task forces with our European counterparts to dismantle trafficking networks and intercept victims before they cross borders.
We must provide comprehensive support for victims, including safe housing, legal assistance, psychological counselling and an easy and safe route to repatriation. We have to stop treating victims as criminals.
We need to coordinate Public Awareness Campaigns. Raising awareness about the signs of human trafficking. Public campaigns can reduce demand for trafficked individuals by educating potential clients about the consequences of participating in illegal sex trade activities.
As with all issues that negatively impact society and the lives of innocent victims, we must address the root causes. Tackling poverty, gender inequality, and lack of education in vulnerable populations helps prevent trafficking. Creating economic opportunities, improving access to education, and ensuring gender equality in high-risk areas can reduce the vulnerabilities traffickers exploit.
We need to utilise modern technology such as AI and data tracking systems and monitor trafficking patterns, identify traffickers, and improve victim identification. Social media platforms should also collaborate to stop traffickers from recruiting victims online.
Criminalising those that use the services of trafficked sex workers and educating the public on the human costs of sex trafficking can reduce the demand that fuels the industry. Laws that target those who purchase sex from trafficked individuals can significantly diminish the profitability of trafficking.
By combining these strategies, human trafficking for the sex industry and the distribution of drugs can be more effectively addressed, reducing exploitation, and addiction and helping victims regain their freedom and dignity.
By raising awareness and proposing actionable steps, it is my aim to inspire greater commitment and accountability from both authorities and the public in combating these issues.
To email your MP about these issues, please use our contact form. We’ll provide a link to a pre-prepared letter, which we recommend printing and sending by Royal Mail to your MP at the House of Commons.
Report Suspicious Activity
If you witness suspicious behaviour or signs of human trafficking and drugs dealing and wish to report it anonymously, several options are available in the UK:
If you prefer not to report your concerns to any of the agencies listed below, you can confidentially share them with us. We will handle the necessary referrals and, where appropriate, initiate journalistic investigations to follow up on the information provided.
Please report your concerns via our contact page.
Your personal details will NEVER be shared with any third parties, we do not track or retain IP address details.
Crimestoppers
An independent charity that allows you to report crimes anonymously. You can contact them:
By phone: Call 0800 555 111 at any time.
Online: Submit information through their secure online form.
Crimestoppers guarantees your anonymity and does not track your IP address or require personal details.
Modern Slavery Helpline: Provides confidential advice and support regarding modern slavery and human trafficking.
By phone: Call 08000 121 700, available 24/7.
Online: Visit their website for more information.
Local Police: You can report non-emergency concerns by calling 101. If you prefer to remain anonymous, you can still provide information without revealing your identity.
The Salvation Army: Offers immediate and intensive support to victims of trafficking.
By phone: Call their 24-hour confidential helpline at 0800 808 3733.
When reporting, provide as much detail as possible about the suspicious activity, including descriptions of individuals involved, locations, vehicle details, and any other pertinent information.
Your vigilance can play a crucial role in combating human trafficking and protecting drugs dealing and county lines activities and the abuses suffered by vulnerable individuals.
Letter for your MP, click to download.
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