Citizens of Kosovo with many weapons without a permit, the reason is considered light smuggling

According to civil society and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Kosovars hold nearly 230 illegal weapons in their hands. The reason, according to security experts, is their easy smuggling from neighboring countries, and the inability of law enforcement agencies to control the entire border.

December 13 would be the end of a criminal group that smuggled weapons between Kosovo and Albania, where 14 people remain arrested, 8 of them in Kosovo.

This was just one form of how illegal weapons fell into the hands of the citizens of Kosovo.

"On an annual basis, the Police of the Republic of Kosovo confiscates on average about 1,500 weapons of various types, including a relatively large number of ammunition of various calibers as well as various explosive devices, including artisanal explosives. The number of confiscated weapons and ammunition for the period January - August 2024 at the level of the KP is 1122, while the number of confiscated ammunition is 20653", the Kosovo Police stated to Dukagjini TV.

Meanwhile, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and civil society organizations, over 230 illegal weapons are believed to be in the hands of citizens.

Most of them are believed to have remained from the last war, but smuggling plays an important role.

Security experts in the country say that these weapons do not come from specific countries such as Serbia, but everywhere as they are profitable for criminal groups.

"Transnational crime does not choose a country or nation or religion, and I would not say that the weapons come only from Serbia, where we had the last case where a criminal group was caught in the framework of transnational crime between Kosovo and Serbia" , said Avni Islami, a security expert.

Security expert Valdet Hoxha sees the impossibility of controlling the borders for the introduction of arms smuggling into Kosovo as a key factor.

But the same does not rule out the possibility that the state should take some measures.

"The state must do its best to reduce the number of illegal weapons in the country first through an amnesty and then by applying the material norms of the penal code of the Republic of Kosovo, especially in cases where they are in possession," said Valdet Hoxha, expert of security.

"Meanwhile, during the period January-December 2024, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, a total of 14,340 applications for consents for the purchase of weapons by natural persons were registered, mainly for reasons of hunting and recreation./Dukagjin/