Lazarat

Yet, even with 22 countries in Europe already allowing the use of cannabis for medical purposes, Albania's announcement has raised eyebrows.

The main opposition party in Albania reacted with outrage after the First Instance Court of Serious Crimes in Tirana on Thursday found former interior minister Saimir Tahiri not guilty of charges of international drug trafficking and association with a criminal organization.

Six months after Albania's ruling Socialist Party used its parliamentary majority to block a request for his arrest on suspicion of drug smuggling, Albania's longest-serving Minister of Interior, Saimir Tahiri, on Thursday said he will resign as an MP, losing his immunity from arrest in the process.

Albania police on Thursday said they had uprooted 216,000 marijuana plants over the last six months, almost the same amount as in the previous year - adding that growers have changed their strategy by planting smaller plots, making it harder for the police to find them.

Police arrested eight people overnight on June 27 in connection with a deadly shootout in an Albanian village known as a ?cannabis kingdom? for its industrial-scale production of the drug.

Albanian police have continued combing the village of Lazarat, conducting house-to-house searches to find members of the armed group that on Wednesday killed 31-year-old special forces officer Ibrahim Basha in an ambush.

Since the operation started on Wednesday, police have detained dozens of suspects, mostly young man, for questioning by prosecutors.

12 members of a group that on Wednesday morning opened fire at the Albanian police, killing one officer and wounding two others, have been arrested.

The incidents happened in the Albanian village of Lazarat, "known as a 'cannabis kingdom' for its industrial-scale production of the drug," AFP reported.

Luiza Xhuvani resigned from Albania's parliament on Tuesday evening following the arrest of her son in connection with the killing of four people in a Tirana nightclub shoot-out.

"He is my son. Those who are parents will understand me. I feel the pain of the families of these four lost lives. I give my resignation as MP," Xhuvani, a well known actress, said.

Nearly 300 police officers, including interior ministry special forces units aided by military helicopters, have swept through the mountainous area of Dukagjin in northern Albania, destroying hundreds of cannabis plantations.

With anti-drug operation in Lazarat, Albania signals readiness for EU membership