Drug lord’s associates plead guilty to lesser charge

Six members of fugitive drug lord Darko Saric's criminal group have made a plea bargain with the Organized Crime Prosecution. They pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of smuggling more than two tons of cocaine from Latin America to Western Europe in October 2009. Drug lord’s associates plead guilty to lesser charge The criminals should get sentences ranging from two years and nine months to ten and a half years in jail. “The plea bargain was made with Milos Pandrc (30), Marko Vorotovic (32), Dejan Rakic (36), Nikola Pavlovic (32), Aleksandar Miodrag (31) and Milos Krpovic (36),” Organized Crime Prosecutor Miljko Radisavljevic told Tanjug on Wednesday. He announced that more plea deals with members of Saric's criminal group could be made soon, and voiced belief that the deals would speed up and simplify the proceedings. “According to the deals, two apartments and three cars will be permanently seized from two of the accused men,” Radisavljevic added. According to him, Pandrc admitted that he was a member of Saric's group and that he used to smuggle cocaine for the group in Brazil in 2008 and in Uruguay in 2009 which was seized in the “Balkan Warrior” operation in exchange for ten and a half years in prison. The state will permanently seize two of his apartments in Belgrade and an Audi 6, in accordance with the plea bargain. Vorotovic accepted a sentence of nine years in prison for the same crimes. Rakic admitted he was a part of a joint criminal enterprise and that he was involved in drug trafficking. He will spend eight years in prison and his Mercedes-Benz A-Class and Citroen C5 will be confiscated. Pavlovic confessed to the same crimes in exchange for seven years in prison, while Miodrag admitted that he was a member of Saric's group and that he was involved in cocaine trafficking in Brazil in 2008, when he took EUR 250,000 from Serbia to the South American country. He made a deal with the prosecution to serve four years in prison. “Milos Krpovic also admitted that he was a member of Saric's group and that he helped falsify IDs and he was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison,” Radisavljevic explained. “The court held hearings in the last two days where plea bargains were accepted and the defendants were sentenced,” he stated. The Special Court has decided to hold a single trial for all other members of the Saric's cocaine-trafficking group and continue the proceedings in accordance with the new Criminal Procedure Code. The organized crime prosecutor expressed expectation that the plea bargains would significantly speed up the trial. A plea bargain is an agreement between the prosecution and defendant according to which the defendant pleads guilty in order to get a more lenient sentence. Saric and six more members of the criminal group are on the run and they are tried in absentia. Tanjug

Drug lord’s associates plead guilty to lesser charge

The criminals should get sentences ranging from two years and nine months to ten and a half years in jail.

“The plea bargain was made with Miloš Pandrc (30), Marko Vorotović (32), Dejan Rakić (36), Nikola Pavlović (32), Aleksandar Miodrag (31) and Miloš Krpović (36),” Organized Crime Prosecutor Miljko Radisavljević told Tanjug on Wednesday.

He announced that more plea deals with members of Šarić's criminal group could be made soon, and voiced belief that the deals would speed up and simplify the proceedings.

“According to the deals, two apartments and three cars will be permanently seized from two of the accused men,” Radisavljević added.

According to him, Pandrc admitted that he was a member of Šarić's group and that he used to smuggle cocaine for the group in Brazil in 2008 and in Uruguay in 2009 which was seized in the “Balkan Warrior” operation in exchange for ten and a half years in prison.

The state will permanently seize two of his apartments in Belgrade and an Audi 6, in accordance with the plea bargain.

Vorotović accepted a sentence of nine years in prison for the same crimes. Rakić admitted he was a part of a joint criminal enterprise and that he was involved in drug trafficking. He will spend eight years in prison and his Mercedes-Benz A-Class and Citroen C5 will be confiscated.

Pavlović confessed to the same crimes in exchange for seven years in prison, while Miodrag admitted that he was a member of Šarić's group and that he was involved in cocaine trafficking in Brazil in 2008, when he took EUR 250,000 from Serbia to the South American country. He made a deal with the prosecution to serve four years in prison.

“Miloš Krpović also admitted that he was a member of Šarić's group and that he helped falsify IDs and he was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison,” Radisavljević explained.

“The court held hearings in the last two days where plea bargains were accepted and the defendants were sentenced,” he stated.

The Special Court has decided to hold a single trial for all other members of the Šarić's cocaine-trafficking group and continue the proceedings in accordance with the new Criminal Procedure Code.

The organized crime prosecutor expressed expectation that the plea bargains would significantly speed up the trial.

A plea bargain is an agreement between the prosecution and defendant according to which the defendant pleads guilty in order to get a more lenient sentence.

Šarić and six more members of the criminal group are on the run and they are tried in absentia.