The village of Vulcăneşti in the Nisporeni district—located approximately 70 kilometers from Chişinău and 20 kilometers from the Romanian border—has the highest proportion of Roma residents in the Republic of Moldova. There are only three ethnic Moldovan families in the village, while a few other Moldovans have come to live there after marrying into the Roma community.

Tensions have flared up again (there was a murder a while back). This time, a group of residents has united against the drug trade in the village; according to them, more than half of the villagers regardless of age, use drugs.

What apparently angered the Roma community of Vulcăneşti the most was the fact that a young fellow villager, detained by the police for allegedly having drugs in his car, was released the very same day. The young man’s family, a rather influential one in the area, claims the case against him was fabricated by “enemies,” specifically other villagers.

• „Republica Vulcăneşti”: Campanie anti-drog şi istoria unei crime care ţine de şapte ani pe jar o comunitate. Video. In: Crime Moldova. 11.09.2026. https://crime-moldova.com/2026/09/11/republica-vulcanesti-campanie-anti-drog-si-istoria-unei-crime-care-tine-de-sapte-ani-pe-jar-o-comunitate-video/