In Montenegro, there have been 57 mafia assassinations since 2010, almost half remain unsolved

(Patria) - The silence in the Montenegrin underworld was broken at the end of last month by a burst of automatic rifle fire, in broad daylight, in the center of Bar.

The murder of Edmond Mustafa recalled the bloody showdowns that the residents of Montenegro have witnessed for years.

Since 2010, according to information from the police for RTCG, there have been 57 mafia assassinations. Almost half of these cases remain unsolved - 27 of them.

According to journalist Radmilo Tadić, the police often know who committed or ordered the crimes, but lack evidence. On the other hand, lawyer Božo Prelević states that evidence can be destroyed.

- Someone is afraid to testify, the police sometimes don't want to investigate, or the prosecutor doesn't. All three of these reasons are present in Montenegro and Serbia and have led to Montenegrin clans being the two main regional clans in this part of Europe - he said.

The year 2016 will be remembered for seven assassinations in clan showdowns. These remain an enigma. The now-murdered Edmond Mustafa claimed to have information about four of them.

Although his suspected executioner, Dino Ibrahimović, was arrested in just half an hour, the question is whether the main task still lies ahead for the investigators.

- It all depends on the procedure. The motive could be personal and there might be no mastermind. There is a code of silence. Often, these people who are arrested for such acts do not say anything because they are blackmailed - Tadić points out.

However, investigators have many unsolved cases from earlier periods. Besides cocaine, cigarettes also seem to have fueled various interests, fear, and revenge. And fertile ground and support, judging by the words of RTCG's interviewees, have not been lacking.

The public certainly remembers the murders of police official Goran Žugić in 2000, State Security Service official Darko Raspopović in 2001, editor of the newspaper "Dan" Duško Jovanović in 2004, and police inspector Slavoljub Šćekić in August 2005.

Organized crime is not new. It will always exist. The only question is how strong it is compared to the state, in which newspaper editors and police officials are assassinated, cigarettes are stolen from the customs zone, cocaine is found on a military ship, an inmate is killed in prison, a tunnel is dug to evidence, and much, much more happens.