FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Across Europe, criminal networks recruit minors for drug trafficking and acts of violence. Fedpol warns of a rise in the phenomenon…
Criminal networks in several European countries are increasingly recruiting minors for drug distribution, acts of violence, cybercrime and online fraud. According to a report by the Swiss newspaper NZZ am Sonntag, Swiss authorities have identified the first worrying cases in Switzerland, while the Federal Office of Police (Fedpol) warns of an increase.
One of the most prominent cases was discovered in the Cité Aldrin neighborhood in Siders, built in the 1970s and named after American astronaut Buzz Aldrin. For years, an organized drug trafficking network, including minors, operated in the area. The Valais cantonal police intervened last year with a large-scale operation that dismantled the structure.
Recently, one of the main perpetrators was sentenced on appeal to 3 years and 9 months in prison. The President of the Cantonal Court of Valais spoke of the extraordinary quantities of drugs sold, professional structures and unscrupulous defendants. The prosecutor responsible at first instance described the case as “professional human trafficking”, as the ringleaders threatened, blackmailed and forced minors to sell drugs.
One of them, identified as Eron (name changed), said he was forced to sell hashish under threat of physical violence. Initially, he received minimal payment, but after 100 grams of hashish disappeared from a shelter, the leaders stopped paying him. According to the court file, the two young leaders of the network achieved a turnover of 2.7 million francs and a profit of around 540 thousand francs over the years.
Under threat of beating, Eroni was forced to sell hashish. Initially, he received a small payment. But when 100 grams of hashish disappeared from a shelter, his payment was stopped, court records show. Like Eroni, several other minors fell into the network of the drug gang in Cité Aldrin.
Drug deal instead of a backyard break
The recruitment of minors by criminal networks is no longer a peripheral phenomenon in Europe. According to Europol, gangs use young people in a targeted manner for acts of violence, cybercrime, online fraud or drug trafficking. The director of the European investigative agency, Catherine de Bolle, recently told the “NZZ am Sonntag” that “for criminals, these children are simply tools that can be thrown away. Cheap and replaceable.”
Nga këndvështrimi i bandave, kjo qasje është funksionale: e drejta penale për të mitur parashikon dënime dukshëm më të lehta, deri në punë komunitare. Të miturit kontrollohen më rrallë nga policia, janë lehtësisht të disponueshëm dhe të ndikueshëm. Kështu, autorët mund të shmangin arrestimin dhe ndjekjen penale.
“Do të të dërgoj një vrasës”
“Les petits”, kështu i quanin autorët në Siders ndihmësit e tyre të mitur. Dosjet procedurale tregojnë mënyrën se si drejtuesit e drogës i trajtonin ata. “Ai më kërcënoi se do të më rrihte nëse nuk shisja për të”, deklaroi një i ri. Nga frika e dhunës, ai filloi të shiste hashash për të. “Të gjithë në Cité e njohin, kisha frikë”, shtoi ai.
Frika nuk ishte e pabazë. Drejtuesit ndërtuan me qëllim një imazh dhune për të frikësuar të tjerët. Njëri prej tyre publikoi në Snapchat një video ku dy burra godasin me shkelma në kokë një person të tretë dhe e kërcënojnë se do t’i presin fytin. Dy vëllezër, që i detyroheshin para njërit prej drejtuesve, morën një foto me një pistoletë. Sipas aktakuzës, njëri prej drejtuesve shkroi poshtë: “do të të dërgoj një vrasës.”
Rekrutimi i të miturve për krime nuk ka qenë kurrë më i lehtë se sot. Këtë e vëren Regula Bernhard-Hug, drejtoreshë e Kinderschutz Schweiz. “Po tentohet të rekrutohen fëmijë dhe të rinj përmes mediave sociale dhe platformave të lojërave për akte dhune dhe trafik droge”, thotë ajo. Ashtu si Europol, ajo flet për një numër të lartë rastesh të paraportuara.
“Algoritmet i ndihmojnë kriminelët”, thekson Bernhard-Hug, duke shtuar “ata i joshin me premtime të rreme për para të shpejta dhe dhurata.”
Detyrat e paligjshme paraqiten si “misione” dhe “sfida”. Një rast nga periudha para Krishtlindjeve e ilustron këtë: në platforma si Instagram dhe TikTok, persona të dyshuar shpërndanë përmbajtje që synonin fëmijët dhe të rinjtë, duke i ftuar përmes një kalendari të supozuar të Adventit të jepnin numrin e telefonit për të fituar një dhuratë. “Pasi marrin numrin, mund t’i kontaktojnë drejtpërdrejt dhe t’i tërheqin në biseda private”, thotë Bernhard-Hug.
Shpesh prindërit nuk e kuptojnë çfarë ndodh në sfond. “Shumë fëmijë kanë disa llogari”, thotë drejtuesja e një shërbimi për ndihmë ndaj viktimave, duke shtuar se kështu ata shmangin kontrollin prindëror. Kinderschutz Schweiz kërkon prej vitesh që politika zvicerane të mbajë kompanitë teknologjike më përgjegjëse. Edhe task-forca e Europol thekson se lufta kundër rrjeteve funksionon vetëm në bashkëpunim me platformat. Projektligji i Këshillit Federal për rregullimin e platformave, për të cilin përfundoi këtë javë faza e konsultimit, parashikon pak masa për mbrojtjen e të miturve. Organizata të ndryshme për fëmijë dhe të rinj e kritikojnë projektin dhe kërkojnë përmirësime.
Rrjete të vështira për t’u shkatërruar
The Valais case does not appear to be isolated. The Federal Police Office (Fedpol) expects an increase in cases where minors are recruited for drug trafficking. "We assume that there will be more such cases in Switzerland as well," said Fedpol spokeswoman Berina Repesa.
Interviews with police and victim support services show that underage drug couriers are also appearing more frequently in other cantons. In Bern and Neuchâtel, for example, two gangs from Biel and La Chaux-de-Fonds have been in a rivalry for years. The conflict culminated in two deaths: a 15-year-old boy was hit by a train on his way to a collision, while another young man died after being stabbed. Drugs did not officially play a role in the trial. However, a person who worked with the victims says that, contrary to public appearances, drug trafficking was also involved.
The fact that such cases are rarely made public is linked to the non-public nature of criminal proceedings for minors. But this may also be linked to the way they have been treated so far. Essentially, these minors are more victims than perpetrators and should be treated as such. This is emphasized in a report by the Swiss Competence Center for Human Rights. Since many cases are not investigated from the perspective of trafficking in human beings, relevant statistics are lacking. The authorities still have to learn to identify situations of coercion.
In France, which is grappling with fierce gang conflicts, this approach is gaining ground. According to media reports, Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin has asked authorities, in an internal letter, to take the human trafficking element more into account in procedures.
In the case of Siders, the trail also leads to France. Chief investigator Patrick Tissières from the Valais Cantonal Police, who led the operation in Cité Aldrin, says: “Dismantling such complex networks requires considerable police resources.” They are often backed by suppliers from the organized crime scene. The perpetrators use encrypted communication tools and modern money laundering methods, such as cryptocurrencies.
The complexity of the fight against these structures is evident across Europe. The British government has invested around £42 million in the last two years to combat groups that recruit young people for acts of violence and drug trafficking. However, national measures are not enough, as the networks operate across borders.
Last spring, Europol created a specialized task force to combat these networks. The goal is the early identification and prevention of recruitment attempts at a European level. In the first six months, investigators arrested 193 people, including 84 suspected “recruiters” who allegedly attempted to involve children and young people in criminal activities. /Adapted from Pamphlet /
Lini një Përgjigje