Serbia’s pro-government media launched a coordinated smear campaign against reporters of the investigative outlet KRIK on Tuesday, linking them to a recently arrested crime boss the same reporters investigated and determined to have frequently socialized with the president’s son.

With the help of Serbia’s Security and Intelligence Agency (BIA), police in Belgrade arrested 17 people suspected of being members of an organized group that committed serious crimes, including kidnappings and murders, Serbian authorities said Thursday.