Lazarat in the post cannabis era
14/07/2015 00:00
Chief territory inspector in Elbasan and his subordinate declared wanted for taking bribes on illegal constructions 23/04 21:19
After a major raid last year in Lazarat, a village known for the
cultivation of drugs and for not allowing the police inside, the
Prosecution started cases against 116 residents, 90 of whom are in
prison and around 20 others on the run, not only for drugs related
charges, but also for arm possession and resisting the police.
Most of the people in the roads of Lazarat are older people who see everyone as a foreigner who has no place among them.
“Former governments allowed us to plant cannabis. This government didn’t have to arrest people or burn cannabis”, one Lazarat citizen says says.
Others complain about their nephews being arrested for just finding small amounts of ammunition or cannabis.
However, most wimen are now collecting medicinal plants from the mountains which are collected by a vehicle. Although everyone condemns the murder of Special Police officer Ibrahim Basha, walls are full of writings against the police.
The few youngsters who are still in the village refuse to speak for the camera, saying that if they say anything, police would arrest them the next day.
After the cannabis era, the Lazarat citizens are facing the obligation to adopt to a new way of life. From planting and trading cannabis, now they have to plant and trade vegetables or medical plants. In fact, the lack of land and water makes living here really difficult.
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