The Telegraph, Europol - the European Union's (EU) law enforcement cooperation agency - warned that Ukraine could become a global arms smuggling hub after the conflict with Russia ends.
The above statement was made in an important report called bad DNA Changes in serious and organized Crimes conducted by Europol. The report stated that military weapons, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and ammunition depots left on the battlefield in Ukraine are at risk of being exploited by criminal organizations in the post-conflict period.
According to the report, concerns about the risk of Ukraine becoming a weapons smuggling hot spot still exist and may become a reality in the near or medium term.
The 100-page document by Europol mentions the Western Balkan region - which has become one of the world's largest suppliers of illegal weapons after a series of ethnic conflicts in Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia and Kosovo since 1991 when Nam Tu collapsed - to illustrate concerns about the current situation in Ukraine.
Although the personal report said that Europol has not yet recorded many large-scale arms smuggling cases from Ukraine into the EU, Spanish police have discovered evidence that drug trafficking gangs using weapons have been provided with aid by NATO countries to Ukraine.
Responding to El Espanol, Spanish police said that some subjects even recklessly used the smuggled weapons they possessed in exchange for the authorities when arrested.
The Spanish Civil Guard said many weapons were seized in a new state during sweeps in Algeciras, Cadiz and Almeria, with a frequency of two to three times a month. Most of these weapons are being sold on the black market.
Polish interior minister Tomasz Siemoniak has recently said the conflict in Ukraine is the source of threats to Polish security, and called on the Warsaw government to raise vigilance to be able to respond quickly and appropriately.
Mr. Siemoniak emphasized that Poland needs to always be ready to face challenges after the conflict ends, especially the risk of increased smuggling of weapons and ammunition from Ukraine.
