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A:
Over 5t of cocaine seized worldwide thanks to information from BIA, Serbian interior ministry
Belgrade,
1 April 2010
First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Ivica Dacic stated that in the last year and a half over five tonnes of cocaine were seized all over the world thanks to information provided by the Serbian Ministry of the Interior and the Serbian Intelligence Agency (BIA).
File photo of Ivica Dacic
Author:
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In an interview with Vreme weekly, Dacic said that the operation which was carried out on the largest scale was operation Balkan Warrior, but noted that there were other operations during which large amounts of cocaine were seized, such as operation Neva.
The Minister stressed that the Serbian-Italian joint operation Checkmate is under way, noting that already a considerable number of suspects have been arrested, including a Serbian national Dusko Duka Micunovic.
He said that the cocaine is not intended for the Serbian market and is not smuggled through its territory, but mostly by sea routes on the Mediterranean.
Dacic said that excellent results were achieved when it came to suppressing the illegal drug trade in Serbia, recalling operation Morava, the goal of which was not only to arrest a few thousand people in one day, but also to strike a heavy blow to the dealers’ network.
He stressed that last year more drugs were confiscated than during the previous five years.
Dacic also pointed to the necessity of international police cooperation in suppressing all forms of organised crime, reiterating that crime does not recognise state borders or nationalities.
He also highlighted that he has proposed the formation of a regional centre for combating organised crime, the aim of which would be to gather and exchange information on organised criminal groups operating in the region.
He said Croatia embraced this idea, talks with Montenegro are under way, while Bosnia-Herzegovina has shown interest in it as well.
If other states are not interested in the centre, it will be formed by Serbia and Croatia, Dacic concluded.
The Minister stressed that the Serbian-Italian joint operation Checkmate is under way, noting that already a considerable number of suspects have been arrested, including a Serbian national Dusko Duka Micunovic.
He said that the cocaine is not intended for the Serbian market and is not smuggled through its territory, but mostly by sea routes on the Mediterranean.
Dacic said that excellent results were achieved when it came to suppressing the illegal drug trade in Serbia, recalling operation Morava, the goal of which was not only to arrest a few thousand people in one day, but also to strike a heavy blow to the dealers’ network.
He stressed that last year more drugs were confiscated than during the previous five years.
Dacic also pointed to the necessity of international police cooperation in suppressing all forms of organised crime, reiterating that crime does not recognise state borders or nationalities.
He also highlighted that he has proposed the formation of a regional centre for combating organised crime, the aim of which would be to gather and exchange information on organised criminal groups operating in the region.
He said Croatia embraced this idea, talks with Montenegro are under way, while Bosnia-Herzegovina has shown interest in it as well.
If other states are not interested in the centre, it will be formed by Serbia and Croatia, Dacic concluded.
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