| More than 500 arrests in police raids |
| 31 October 2009 | 10:56 -> 16:02
| Source:
B92, Tanjug |
BELGRADE --
Serbian police (MUP) made more than 500 arrests in the so-called Morava operation in the fight against drug trafficking and other criminal activity.
 | Interior Minister Ivica Dačić (Tanjug)
|
According to Interior Minister Ivica Dačić, more than 600 buildings were searched and several hundred people were arrested on the suspicion of selling illegal substances and committing other crimes.
The Morava action began at 06:00 CET on Saturday morning throughout the entire territory of Serbia and in all police administrations around the country.
Dačić said that about 2,000 police officers participated in the action, and that about 100 suspects have already been remanded in custody for a period of 48 hours.
He said that the action is “practically finished,” though some buildings still remain to be search, adding that the names of the arrested persons will be released later.
Police found dozens of types of drugs, a large amount of weapons and ammunition, stolen cars, and USD 52,000 of counterfeit bills was found in the possession of one suspect in Belgrade.
Dačić said that the action was focused on people who sell drugs to children in primary and middle schools, clubs and cafes, as well as people who were already know to police for committing other crimes.
The Interior Minister said that the police did a good job in keeping the action secret, so that no one was able to escape arrest.
He also said that cooperation with the courts was also excellent.
Sources close to the Novi Pazar police told B92 that crime boss Dževad Alibašić from Tutin was arrested, under the suspicion of selling and distributing heroin.
The action was also implemented “without problems" on the territory of the Vranje police administration, and suspects from Bujanovac, Preševo and Vranje were arrested.
An eyewitness in Niš said that gendarmeries armed with rifles and masks on their faces arrested one man and led him out of Niš’s largest church in handcuffs at about 8:00 CET.
Earlier this month, Niš police seized more than 12 kilograms of heroin and arrested three suspects.
There were also arrests of drug dealers made in Valjevo last night, police sources from the town confirmed for the Beta news agency.
A police source told Beta that “all people who the police had any information on related to drug dealing were arrested.”
Asked whether “serious, large dealers” were arrested, the source said that police “did not pay attention to whether they were serious or not, and whether they had a gram or a kilogram of drugs.”
“They are all in the same chain, they are all the same problem, and we did not want to have anyone say that we only picked up the ‘small fish.’ while the ‘larger’ ones are untouchable,” the source said.
There were also arrests made in Novi Sad this morning, according to police officials in the city.
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