Officials on alert over crime boss

Going after Darko Saric’s crime gang has jeopardized the safety of Serbia’s state officials involved in the investigation, a source from the Serbian MUP says. “Saric is under protection of the most powerful Montenegrin mafia boss and that is why all measures are being taken so the strike of the Serbian security-police services against the Pljevlja Clan does not endanger the people who are directly leading the investigation,” Blic newspaper's source was quoted as saying. Officials on alert over crime boss The source also stated that Saric, a Montenegrin know to carry Serbia and Slovakian passports, suspected of smuggling over two tons of cocaine, was under surveillance of Serbian police until January 21, when the Special Prosecution announced that investigation was being conducted against him. “A year before the prosecution initiated the proceedings, there had been an investigation to reveal criminal activities of this clan led by BIA (Security-Information Agency). All Saric’s special phones, which he and his closest associates had been using, were revealed and tapped. However, all those phones have been 'disconnected' since the investigation against him was launched,” the source said. According to him, police have for the past month been in touch with their colleagues from other countries, checking the possibility that the suspect had found refuge there. “Saric was distributing cocaine in all of Europe and proceedings against his local dealers are being conducted in most countries. We have exchanged information with all those countries, Interpol red notice has been issued and if he shows up in any European country he will be arrested. There is no country which would give refuge to a narco-boss of this kind,” he said. That is exactly the reason why Serbian police believe that Saric never left Montenegro and that he is still probably hiding at the coast, under protection of a local mafia boss. This “protection” is the main reason why the continuation of Balkan Warrior –an international operation which last year prevented the attempt to ship the cocaine from South America to Europe – is marked as “risk to safety of the persons involved". “The Montenegrin mafia has its hitmen who have killed in Belgrade before. Their targets were members of rival clans, but also state officials, whose murders were violating the security of Serbia,” the daily’s source explained.

Officials on alert over crime boss

The source also stated that Šarić, a Montenegrin know to carry Serbia and Slovakian passports, suspected of smuggling over two tons of cocaine, was under surveillance of Serbian police until January 21, when the Special Prosecution announced that investigation was being conducted against him.

“A year before the prosecution initiated the proceedings, there had been an investigation to reveal criminal activities of this clan led by BIA (Security-Information Agency). All Šarić’s special phones, which he and his closest associates had been using, were revealed and tapped. However, all those phones have been 'disconnected' since the investigation against him was launched,” the source said.

According to him, police have for the past month been in touch with their colleagues from other countries, checking the possibility that the suspect had found refuge there.

“Šarić was distributing cocaine in all of Europe and proceedings against his local dealers are being conducted in most countries. We have exchanged information with all those countries, Interpol red notice has been issued and if he shows up in any European country he will be arrested. There is no country which would give refuge to a narco-boss of this kind,” he said.

That is exactly the reason why Serbian police believe that Šarić never left Montenegro and that he is still probably hiding at the coast, under protection of a local mafia boss.

This “protection” is the main reason why the continuation of Balkan Warrior –an international operation which last year prevented the attempt to ship the cocaine from South America to Europe – is marked as “risk to safety of the persons involved".

“The Montenegrin mafia has its hitmen who have killed in Belgrade before. Their targets were members of rival clans, but also state officials, whose murders were violating the security of Serbia,” the daily’s source explained.