Arkan associate owned huge cocaine shipment

Arkan associate owned huge cocaine shipment

The Serbian police for its part have conducted an investigation into the company’s activities, and have relayed their findings to the Macedonians.

Beta’s police source said that they would act on the international arrest warrant “as soon as they have received it”.

Vreme weekly’s Dejan Anastasijević told Beta that the cocaine confiscated on the Macedonian border was the third large seizure in Europe in the last month, and added that he believed it was a result of the cooperation between various police forces and the American Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

Anastasijević also said that Stanislava Poletan, named as the owner of the company that owned the shipment, was an associate of late Željko Ražnatović Arkan, and was “likely continuing with his business”.

Earlier, Macedonian news agency Makfax reported that a Belgrade-based company allegedly owned the entire shipment of nearly 500 kilos of cocaine that was seized by Macedonian police.

A Croatian ship brought the drug at the Montenegrin port of Bar, Podgorica's daily Vijesti said, quoting police sources in Podgorica.

The paper says the final destination of the shipment was Greece's industrial zone of Syndos i.e. Searose Company Ltd.

Citing Montenegrin police, Vijesti daily says the cocaine arrived at Montenegro's port city of Bar on 29 December. The Loshin ship, owned by Croatian company Loshinka Plovidba, carried the drug.

Cocaine transport began on November 14 last year in the Venezuela's port La Guara. It was transported to Spain's port Algeciras and later to Italian port of Gioia Tauro. Then, the cocaine reached Montenrgro, Makfax news agency quotes Vijesti daily.

"A truck with Macedonian registration plates SK-842 OB/SK-961-NU picked up the cargo on 4 January. Truck driver was a Macedonian citizen Alija Azirović," Vijesti daily said.

"Macedonian police have information that Serbian and Greek mobsters stand behind the companies involved," Vijesti daily said.

The paper says the police interrogate the truck driver, but it's not clear yet how much he knew about the drug smuggling masterminds and whether he knew anything about the cargo.

The only thing that is clear for now is that the driver was assigned by the wife of one of those who had orchestrated the drug smuggling.

Makfut company, the owner of the shipment, is registered in Belgrade's company register. Stanislav Poletan is the founder of the company dealing with trade and services.

Podgorica's daily Vijesti says the Montenegrin police had no information or tips on cocaine shipment, therefore, they had no legal grounds to conduct a search operation on the container which transited across Montenegro's territory.