Turkish kurum And the export of hazardous waste from Albania to Thailand

In 2024, 102 containers of hazardous industrial waste, originally shipped to Thailand by Kurum International and Sokolaj sh.pk, were returned to Albania. The shipment was declared as iron oxide, but a complaint by the Basel Action Network revealed that it contained toxic electric arc fumed dust (EAFD), a by-product of steel production.

Kurum International is a Turkish-owned company with a large steel plant in Elbasan, which exports products to the Balkans and beyond. Sokolaj, an Albanian company active in the transport and transit of products, undertook the export of the toxic waste abroad. The investigation shows that their collaboration included falsification of customs documents, as the waste was declared as iron oxide and exports were carried out without the required permits.

OLAF's decisive contribution in the case of toxic waste export from Albania

Από τον Οκτώβριο του 2024 ξεκίνησαν εργαστηριακές αναλύσεις των επιστραφέντων κοντέινερ, ενώ οι έρευνες αποκάλυψαν σοβαρές παραβιάσεις περιβαλλοντικής νομοθεσίας και πιθανή εμπλοκή κρατικών λειτουργών, κυρίως από την Εθνική Υπηρεσία Περιβάλλοντος (AKM) και τα τελωνεία. Περίπου έναν χρόνο μετά, οι αλβανικές Αρχές προχώρησαν σε 33 μέτρα ασφαλείας, εκ των οποίων 26 προφυλακίσεις και περιοριστικοί όροι για στελέχη των εταιρειών και υπαλλήλους των κρατικών φορέων. Στο στόχαστρο βρίσκεται και η πρώην διευθύντρια της AKM, Arta Dollani, η οποία σήμερα διευθύνει την Υπηρεσία Προ-πανεπιστημιακής Εκπαίδευσης και φέρεται να εμπλέκεται στις διαδικασίες αδειοδότησης και διαχείρισης εξαγωγών επικίνδυνων αποβλήτων.

The incident highlights the wider problem of international industrial waste trafficking, with many Western countries sending hazardous byproducts to Asia and Africa for processing, in a market estimated to be worth $82 billion a year. Environmental activists warn of the dangers of delayed analysis of waste that may have leaked or been spoiled during transport and storage.

Police operations continue in Tirana, Durres and Elbasan, while it is not ruled out that the list of suspects will expand as the investigation progresses and the legal proceedings proceed.