TIRANA, Albania-Organized crime is becoming more entrenched in the postwar Balkans and threatens stability across a much wider region, including Central Asia, the Caucasus and other parts of the former Soviet Union, the U.N.'s anti-drug chief said.

Highlighting one key problem, Antonio Maria Costa said the Balkans has become the most important route for Afghan drugs moving to the rest of Europe.

The Vienna-based U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, which he leads, is preparing a program to help countries in the region combat the illegal drug and weapons trades, human trafficking and other crime, Costa said Wednesday at a presentation to Albanian officials and Western diplomats in Tirana.

At the core of his strategy is encouraging the international community, which helped end years of war in the region in the 1990s, to support Balkan nations in strengthening the rule of law.

"Organized crime, money laundering, corruption and trafficking are major problems in the Balkans today," Costa said.

He said the trade in heroin and other drugs from Afghanistan on the way to Western Europe brings in an annual US$2.5 billion (€2.1 billion) for Kurdish, Turkish and Albanian cartels.

"The Balkan route of Afghan drugs is shown to be the most important conduit toward the rest of Europe," he said.

Human trafficking was "a low risk and high profit business throughout the Balkans," he said.

Organized crime flourished after years of war and international isolation left the region's authorities weakened and encouraged corruption.

February 23, 2006 7:37 AM