Criminal networks with illegal waste intentionally choose countries with low penalties, Europol warns

Europol and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) warn that criminal networks engaged in illegal trade and disposal of waste are increasingly sending shipments to countries where penalties are lighter.

Analysts and investigators note a trend that has been particularly noticeable since 2022 — waste from Western Europe is being redirected to Central and Eastern Europe. Criminals often use legally registered companies to conceal the illegal handling of waste, which makes detection more difficult.

Market motive and risk calculation

Europol notes that the costs of illegal disposal or trade in waste can be significantly lower than the costs of legally required treatment, so perpetrators have a strong financial incentive to break the rules. UNODC adds that the most expensive waste to treat, such as electronic waste, is most often moved from higher-income regions to lower-income regions.

According to UNODC, perpetrators selectively choose countries where the fines for illegal trade and disposal are significantly lower than the profits that can be made even from a single illegal shipment of electronic waste.

In Croatia, the case of hazardous waste around the town of Gospić has attracted major attention: at the request of Croatian President Zoran Milanović, an extraordinary session of the Croatian Parliament will be held today and tomorrow because of the illegal disposal of waste in that region. In recent weeks the problem of illegal import and disposal of waste in the Lika area and around Gospić has occupied the Croatian public, and the opposition has demanded a vote of no confidence in the prime minister over the case.

Proceedings related to illegal handling of waste are also underway in North Macedonia: a former director of Prilep's "Tutunski Kombinat", together with employees, received criminal charges from the Ministry of Internal Affairs over the illegal sale of waste.

Photo: MIA