Q:
A:
Police apprehend 24 members of international criminal group
Belgrade,
2 September 2009
First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Ivica Dacic and Republika Srpska Chief of Police Uros Pena today stated that so far 24 members of an international organised crime group, led by Darko Elez, have been arrested.
Uros Pena, left, and Ivica Dacic at today's press conference
Author:
Fonet
At a joint press conference Dacic and Pena specified that nine persons were arrested in Serbia and 15 in Bosnia-Herzegovina during an ongoing investigation and voiced their pleasure at the successful cooperation in the fight against organised crime.
Dacic stressed that the Serbian police Financial Investigation Unit took part in the investigation, which is important for initiating the process of seizing property obtained through crime.
He reiterated that the international criminal group was very well organised and had committed the severest criminal acts, including murder, drug trafficking, blackmail and money laundering.
Police forces from Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and Republika Srpska all took part in the operation that started last December, he recalled.
Dacic said that drug trafficking through Serbia has lessened because drug routes have shifted to South America. He announced the possibility of signing an agreement on cooperation in suppressing drug trafficking with police forces in that region.
He noted that the central drug trading route from Turkey to Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Kosovo-Metohija via Serbia is not being used so often any more.
Dacic and Pena expressed their satisfaction with the fact that the police forces managed to prevent the leak of any confidential information during the latest operation.
The Minister stressed that the criminal group leader Darko Elez became a Serbian citizen in 2001 and not in 2006, as some media reported yesterday.
Pena specified that during the police operation, which lasted six months, 15 criminals were arrested in Bosnia-Herzegovina and 10 in Republika Srpska.
He confirmed that Interpol has already demanded that the Republika Srpska police forward all information concerning this case.
Police Chief Milorad Veljovic stated that the Serbian police, in cooperation with the Croatian police forces, arrested another member of the criminal group last night in Serbia, Aleksandar Lucic.
This group invested illegally obtained money in expensive cars, as well as property in Belgrade and Novi Sad.
Dacic stressed that the Serbian police Financial Investigation Unit took part in the investigation, which is important for initiating the process of seizing property obtained through crime.
He reiterated that the international criminal group was very well organised and had committed the severest criminal acts, including murder, drug trafficking, blackmail and money laundering.
Police forces from Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and Republika Srpska all took part in the operation that started last December, he recalled.
Dacic said that drug trafficking through Serbia has lessened because drug routes have shifted to South America. He announced the possibility of signing an agreement on cooperation in suppressing drug trafficking with police forces in that region.
He noted that the central drug trading route from Turkey to Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Kosovo-Metohija via Serbia is not being used so often any more.
Dacic and Pena expressed their satisfaction with the fact that the police forces managed to prevent the leak of any confidential information during the latest operation.
The Minister stressed that the criminal group leader Darko Elez became a Serbian citizen in 2001 and not in 2006, as some media reported yesterday.
Pena specified that during the police operation, which lasted six months, 15 criminals were arrested in Bosnia-Herzegovina and 10 in Republika Srpska.
He confirmed that Interpol has already demanded that the Republika Srpska police forward all information concerning this case.
Police Chief Milorad Veljovic stated that the Serbian police, in cooperation with the Croatian police forces, arrested another member of the criminal group last night in Serbia, Aleksandar Lucic.
This group invested illegally obtained money in expensive cars, as well as property in Belgrade and Novi Sad.
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