900 tons of marijuana were produced there annually, worth €4.5 billion, or slightly less than half of Albania's GDP. Contractors from the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, and all over the Balkans came there every day. They paid 500-800 euros for a kilogram of marijuana.
Legend has it that when purchased for personal use, for "legal" consumption, the promotional price for locals was €350 per kilogram.
The procedure ended when Albania wanted to join the European Union. Today, in addition to the police, military units are stationed in Lazarat to ensure the normal functioning of the village. However, there is no certainty that a new marijuana capital of Europe is not being built somewhere in the Gjerë Mountains.
