Daily: Šarić to be key witness in case against Kelmendi

BELGRADE Runaway drug lord Darko Saric has most likely struck a deal with U.S. security forces in order to become a key witness in a case against Naser Kelmendi. According to daily Blic, Saric is now the key witness in the case against Kelmendi, his former partner, whom the U.S. considers the most dangerous drug lord in the Balkans. Daily: Saric to be key witness in case against Kelmendi Saric, his best man Safet Kalic and Zvonko Veselinovic of Kosovska Mitrovica were Kelmendi’s close associates. The Serbian police also consider Kelmendi the main financier and organizer of cocaine and heroin trafficking from Istanbul, through Albania, Pec, Rozaje and Novi Pazar to western European countries. According to the Serbian police’s file on Kelmendi, he is a head of a gang that controls Kosovo together with the Osmani brothers and Ekrem Lluka’s groups who financed former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) commander Ramush Haradinaj and current Kosovo PM Hashim Thaci. According to the file, Kelmendi worked closely with Saric while he was trafficking narcotics from South America and the money he earned in the operation was laundered in Belgrade, Blic has reported. A well-informed source told the daily that Saric had at the start of his heroin trafficking career worked with Kelmendi and that they had worked together on money laundering after he had switched to cocaine trafficking. A first lead that pointed to the connection between Saric and Kelmendi and their money laundering was enormous sugar exports to Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2007 when dozens of millions of euros were laundered. After the Balkan Warrior operation, there were allegations that Saric, whose international arrest warrant had already been issued, was seen in the Bosnian town of Drvar where he met with Kelmendi. Soon after, media reported that three of Saric’s close associates had been seen in Sarajevo where they met with Kelmendi’s associates. According to some information, they even opened a pizzeria in the Bosnian town of Pale together. According to the Serbian police’s file on Kelmendi, he became rich thanks to tobacco smuggling and that he was one of the main financiers of the KLA. “Kelmendi, aside from Ekrem Luka, Agim Eshlani and Naser Shari, belongs to Ramush Haradinaj’s clan. They have a monopoly on the drug, weapon and human trafficking in Pec. Lluka and Kelmendi, in cooperation with Haradinaj and Agim Ceku, financed Albanian terrorist groups who infiltrated southern Serbia and Macedonia from Pec,” reads the police file. The Serbian police also has information that Kelmendi hires mujahidins as security guards. Kelmendi was arrested on Sunday evening in Kosovo. After the release from the 48-hour police detention, he was arrested again on Tuesday evening based on an order issued by a EULEX prosecutor. The operation was conducted in close coordination between local and EULEX prosecutors. The suspect is being investigated, among other offenses, for organized crime. The arrest operation was conducted by the EULEX Police from the Organized Crime Investigation Unit. Naser Kelmendi Blic

Daily: Šarić to be key witness in case against Kelmendi

Šarić, his best man Safet Kalić and Zvonko Veselinović of Kosovska Mitrovica were Kelmendi’s close associates.

The Serbian police also consider Kelmendi the main financier and organizer of cocaine and heroin trafficking from Istanbul, through Albania, Peć, Rožaje and Novi Pazar to western European countries.

According to the Serbian police’s file on Kelmendi, he is a head of a gang that controls Kosovo together with the Osmani brothers and Ekrem Lluka’s groups who financed former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) commander Ramush Haradinaj and current Kosovo PM Hashim Thaci.

According to the file, Kelmendi worked closely with Šarić while he was trafficking narcotics from South America and the money he earned in the operation was laundered in Belgrade, Blic has reported.

A well-informed source told the daily that Šarić had at the start of his heroin trafficking career worked with Kelmendi and that they had worked together on money laundering after he had switched to cocaine trafficking.

A first lead that pointed to the connection between Šarić and Kelmendi and their money laundering was enormous sugar exports to Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2007 when dozens of millions of euros were laundered.

After the Balkan Warrior operation, there were allegations that Šarić, whose international arrest warrant had already been issued, was seen in the Bosnian town of Drvar where he met with Kelmendi. Soon after, media reported that three of Šarić’s close associates had been seen in Sarajevo where they met with Kelmendi’s associates. According to some information, they even opened a pizzeria in the Bosnian town of Pale together.

According to the Serbian police’s file on Kelmendi, he became rich thanks to tobacco smuggling and that he was one of the main financiers of the KLA.

“Kelmendi, aside from Ekrem Luka, Agim Eshlani and Naser Shari, belongs to Ramush Haradinaj’s clan. They have a monopoly on the drug, weapon and human trafficking in Peć. Lluka and Kelmendi, in cooperation with Haradinaj and Agim Ceku, financed Albanian terrorist groups who infiltrated southern Serbia and Macedonia from Peć,” reads the police file.

The Serbian police also has information that Kelmendi hires mujahidins as security guards.

Kelmendi was arrested on Sunday evening in Kosovo. After the release from the 48-hour police detention, he was arrested again on Tuesday evening based on an order issued by a EULEX prosecutor.

The operation was conducted in close coordination between local and EULEX prosecutors. The suspect is being investigated, among other offenses, for organized crime.

The arrest operation was conducted by the EULEX Police from the Organized Crime Investigation Unit.