doc. dr. Zoran Kovačević
Stručni savjetnik, Aida Šeta Čavčić
Objavljeno u Izdanju 1., Godina 6.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.70329/2744-2403.2026.6.11.9
Ključne riječi: institucionalna korupcija, fentanil, sintetički opioidi, Zapadni Balkan, organizovani kriminal, narkotički koridori, bezbjednosni vektor, granična kontrola, UNODC, Europol.
Sažetak:
Ovaj rad analizira dvije međusobno isprepletene i nedovoljno istražene dimenzije savremene bezbjednosne krize na Zapadnom Balkanu i to, institucionalnu korupciju kao strukturalni bezbjednosni vektor i emergentnu prijetnju sintetičkih opioida, posebno fentanila i njegovih analoga, kao novu narkokriminalnu frontu koja prijeti da transformiše regionalni i evropski narkotički pejzaž. Centralna teza rada počiva na argumentu da ove dvije pojave nisu paralelne niti nezavisne, institucionalna korupcija u policijskim, pravosudnim i graničnim strukturama Zapadnog Balkana stvara sistemske rupe koje organizovani kriminal, domaći i transnacionalni, eksploatiše za uspostavljanje novih kriminalnih koridora. U uslovima u kojima su sintetički opioidi hiljadama puta potentiji od konvencionalnih narkotika i gotovo nevidljivi za standardne granične kontrole, ovaj institucionalni vakum postaje posebno opasan. Rad primjenjuje kombinovani metodološki okvir koji uključuje kriminalističku analizu, institucionalnu teoriju, komparativnu kriminologiju i kritičku bezbjednosnu analizu, oslanjajući se na verifikovane izvještaje UNODC-a, Europola, FATF-a, Transparency Internationala i recenzirane akademske izvore. Zaključci indiciraju da region stoji pred raskrsnicom, bez sistemskog adresiranja korupcijskog osnova koji omogućava proliferaciju narkokriminala, sintetički opioidi mogu postati kriza koja će, po analogiji s američkim „opioidnim ratom“, generisati javnozdravstvenu katastrofu čiji će ekonomski i socijalni troškovi daleko prevazilaziti troškove preventivne reforme.
Abstract:
This paper analyzes two intertwined and insufficiently researched dimensions of the contemporary security crisis in the Western Balkans, institutional corruption as a structural security vector and the emerging threat of synthetic opioids, especially fentanyl and its analogues, as a new narco-criminal front that threatens to transform the regional and European narcotics. The central thesis of the paper is based on the argument that these two phenomena are neither parallel nor independent: institutional corruption in the police, judicial and border structures of the Western Balkans creates systemic holes that organized crime, both domestic and transnational, exploits to establish new criminal corridors. In conditions in which synthetic opioids are thousands of times more potent than conventional narcotics and almost invisible to standard border controls, this institutional vacuum becomes particularly dangerous. The paper uses a combined methodological framework that includes criminalistic analysis, institutional theory, comparative criminology and critical security analysis, drawing on verified reports from UNODC, Europol, FATF, Transparency International and peer-reviewed academic sources. The conclusions indicate that the region is at a crossroads, without systematically addressing the corrupt foundations that enable the proliferation of drug crime, synthetic opioids could become a crisis that, by analogy with the American “opioid war”, will generate a public health catastrophe whose economic and social costs will far exceed the costs of preventive reform. This paper analyzes two interrelated and insufficiently explored dimensions of the contemporary security crisis in the Western Balkans: institutional corruption as a structural security vector, and the emerging threat of synthetic opioids—particularly fentanyl and its analogues—as a new narcocriminal front that threatens to transform the regional and European narcotics landscape.