The statement recalls that Subotic is the owner of the Ub-based company MIA which illegally imported cigarettes in the period 1995-1997 and sold them on the black market.
The group thus misappropriated over €40 million, or DM 80 million. The money was sent through Montenegro and Macedonia to their accounts in Cyprus.
The statement specifies that the persons taken into custody are Nebojsa Nikolic, Drage Dodeski, Milan Rankovic, Miroslav Pesic, Milan Milanovic, Miodrag Zavisic, Milan Popivoda and Ivana Olujic.
They will remain in custody up to 48 hours.
The police are still intensively looking for Stanko Subotic and other members of the criminal group.