Twelve arrests, operations in several countries, activities on five continents and the seizure of 4.2 tons of drugs. This is the epilogue of an international police operation, carried out in Montenegro and Germany. Among those arrested in Montenegro is SF, whom the police of this country announced is one of the leaders of the Balkan cartel.
Montenegrin media identified him as Svetislav Fillipovic and he is suspected of illegal production, possession and distribution of narcotics.
He faces a sentence of up to 15 years in prison and, in addition, is also accused of illegal trafficking in weapons and explosive materials.
There is not much information about him, while during the publication of data on the action, the European police, Europol, said that a highly dangerous person was arrested in Montenegro.
Fillopovic is from Podgorica and is 47 years old, and since 2002 he has been listed as the director of the company "Spectacular", according to the public business data registry "Company wall".
This company has so far received 139 shipments from 16 countries, including Ecuador, Ukraine and Colombia, according to data from the Volza platform, which collects information on global trade.
According to her, the company has imported bananas, watermelons, dried fruits and nuts, while a company from Hong Kong is also among its suppliers.
In 2023, Spectacular generated total revenue of 664,206 euros. Fillipovic is also one of the co-owners of the company Europayment.
The accounts of both companies have been frozen. In addition to the arrests in Montenegro, four people were also arrested in Germany, but there is still not much information about them.
According to the international police, Interpol, several global organized crime groups operate in Germany, which deal with a wide range of crimes, such as drug trafficking, property crimes, and human smuggling.
"Strongly rooted" in cocaine trafficking routes
Those arrested on April 15 are accused of transporting multi-ton shipments of cocaine from South America to European Union countries, said the director of the Montenegrin Police Directorate, Lazar Škjepanović.
According to him, this criminal group provided and mediated the sale of cocaine and cannabis, both in Montenegro and in other countries, such as Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Bolivia and Thailand.
This operation confirms that, despite the blows inflicted by previous operations, Balkan groups have not disappeared, but continue their activities, adapting and rebuilding their logistical chains, says Sasha Djordjevic from the Global Initiative to Combat Transnational Organized Crime.
"Balkan criminal groups remain firmly entrenched in traditional cocaine trafficking routes, especially on the Latin America-Europe route, with Germany still being one of the main markets," says Djordjevic.
Organized crime groups from the Western Balkans have been identified by international organizations, such as Europol and Interpol, as key players in the smuggling of cocaine from Latin American countries such as Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador to markets mainly in Western Europe.
But, in addition to cocaine, cannabis was also smuggled, about 1.5 tons of which was found in 12 different seizures.
The cannabis, Europol said, was smuggled into the European Union from and through Albania, Thailand and the United States. The presence of cannabis, Djordjevic explains, shows that Balkan criminal groups do not specialize only in cocaine.
"They are already acting opportunistically and entering other markets, where they offer a secure channel and good profits," he adds.
Around 100 police officers participated in the latest operation and, in addition to German and Montenegrin institutions, Austria, Spain and Europol also provided support.
Following arrests in Montenegro and Germany, the High State Prosecutor's Office in Podgorica filed indictments against ten people.
The criminal indictment charges the suspects with repeated sale, transportation and mediation in the sale of narcotic drugs – cocaine and cannabis – while a group of four suspects is also accused of the criminal offense of criminal organization.
"A suspect ordered and organized the sea or air transport of large quantities of narcotic drugs - cocaine, cannabis and hashish - to Podgorica, Germany, Bolivia, Thailand, Belgium and the Dominican Republic," the Prosecutor's Office stated.
Europol also said that the group also used air traffic, in addition to sea routes.
Djordjevic says this shows that these networks are constantly adapting their methods and looking for new channels for smuggling.
“The use of air traffic, including couriers and general aviation, has long been a cause for concern, but its extent is still not fully clear,” says Djordjevic.
In addition to new methods of transportation, groups are also changing routes.
Thus, a study by the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime last year showed that organized crime groups, whose members originate from the Western Balkan countries, use a new route to smuggle cocaine from Latin America to Europe, through West African countries.
Montenegro is home to two criminal clans, Kavač and Shkalar, which have been in conflict since 2014, when several hundred kilograms of cocaine disappeared in Valencia.
More than 70 people have been killed in their conflicts so far. Last year, the country was ranked tenth in Europe on the Global Organized Crime Index.
In addition to it, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina are also in the top ten. The Global Organized Crime Index assesses the level of crime and resistance to organized crime in 193 countries around the world./ REL
