An international police sweep dismantled a leading Balkan Cartel drug trafficking cell Wednesday, arresting 12 suspects tied to the intercontinental smuggling of more than 4.2 tonnes of cocaine and cannabis.
Around 100 police officers executed arrests and searches across Montenegro and Germany, supported by authorities in Austria and Spain. Among the dozen arrested was a “high-value target” apprehended in Montenegro, according to Europol.
The suspects—who allegedly acted as financiers, coordinators and logisticians—are linked to 12 previous seizures across Europe and South America that yielded 2.7 tonnes of cocaine and 1.5 tonnes of cannabis. Europol said the network smuggled the drugs via shipping containers and air routes from countries including Bolivia, Thailand and the United States.
Following the sweep, the Montenegrin Higher State Prosecutor’s Office filed criminal complaints against 10 individuals for offenses including criminal association, unauthorized drug distribution and the illicit weapons trade.
“One suspect ordered and organized the maritime or air transport of cargo with large quantities of narcotic drugs ... in Podgorica, Germany, Bolivia, Thailand, Belgium, and the Dominican Republic,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
Neither Europol nor Montenegrin authorities specified which faction of the cartel was targeted. However, Montenegro is the notorious home base for the rival Kavač and Škaljari gangs, which have waged a bloody, years-long turf war across Europe fueled by large-scale cocaine trafficking, contract killings and money laundering.
The suspects arrested in Montenegro will appear before a state prosecutor within 24 hours to determine their pre-trial detention.
