Serbian prosecution indicted 20 members of the 'Balkan Cartel'

(Patria) - The Public Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime (TOK) of Serbia has indicted 20 people on suspicion of participating in the international trafficking of about seven tons of cocaine.

According to the Prosecutor's Office statement, these are members of the organized criminal group "Balkan Cartel".

So far, 14 people have been arrested in Serbia against whom an indictment has been filed, and they are in custody, the Prosecutor's Office announced today.

The remaining six are on the run and international arrest warrants have been issued for them.

Most of them were arrested in early May and are accused of smuggling cocaine from December 2019 to August 2020.

The cocaine seizures, which are linked to this cartel, were outside the territory of Serbia.

The largest seizure, about 4.5 tons of cocaine, was on the island of Aruba in the Caribbean Sea.

1.2 tons of cocaine were seized in Belgium, while 743 kilograms were seized in the Netherlands.

"In addition to these three seizures, a large quantity of weapons of various types, automatic, semi-automatic, as well as ammunition and explosives, are part of the indictment.

This is weapons found during the apprehension of one of the individuals belonging to the so-called 'Niš group'," the Prosecutor's Office stated, as reported by RSE.

By decision of the Public Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime, all accounts, safe deposit boxes, all movable and immovable property - apartments, houses, and vehicles, foreign currency amounting to more than three million euros, expensive watches, and jewelry have been blocked for the accused.

The Prosecutor's Office also adds that this procedure is the result of cooperation between the Public Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime and the competent judicial authorities of France, Aruba, Belgium, and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, as well as Europol and Eurojust.

Information from the Sky mobile application was crucial for uncovering the cartel.

"Crucial evidence was collected from the Sky application through international legal assistance, as well as other evidence necessary for the proceedings of the Public Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime, thereby breaking up this 'Balkan Cartel'," the Prosecutor's Office specifies.

The Sky application served as a window into the secret communication channels of criminals around the world.