What is happening? 21 people are accused of smuggling cocaine, among them the mayor and police officials

After a months-long investigation, the Special Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime of Montenegro filed indictments against 21 people, including senior police officers and operatives, the mayor of Budva and suspected leaders and members of Montenegrin drug clans.

They are accused of smuggling more than four tons of cocaine, laundering millions of euros, abuse of office and possession of weapons without a permit.

At least eight policemen and operatives have been charged, including police officer Lubo Milovi?, who has escaped, Petar Lazovi?, an employee of the National Security Agency, who is in custody, and Dejan Kne?evi?, who was the assistant director of the Mali Police Administration. Black.

Among them is the current mayor of the Municipality of Budva, Milo Bozhovic, an official of the former Democratic Front, this pro-Serbian and pro-Russian party in Montenegro.

The indictment also includes Radoje Zvicer, who is on the run and is known as one of the suspected leaders of the "Kava?ki" criminal clan.

Special Prosecutor Vukosh Radonjic said that "they are accused of criminal offenses committed from 2019 to February 2021 in Montenegro, but also in several countries in Europe and South America".

In 2021, Europol handed over to the Montenegrin state institutions the transcripts of the clan members' encrypted conversations through the SKY application.

In that document, published last year by the "Libertas" portal, which had access to that document, it was stated, among other things, that "Police officers Petar Lazovic and Lubo Milovic were members of the Kava?ki clan and were directly involved in smuggling of large quantities of cocaine from Ecuador to the European Union and Australia".

An international arrest warrant was issued for Mr. Milovi?, while Petar Lazovi? was arrested in July of last year and has been in custody since then.