Police in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia arrested 11 people suspected of smuggling more than half a tonne of cocaine from South America into the European Union, the EU law enforcement agency Europol said Wednesday.
The criminal network is believed to have imported multi-tonne shipments of cocaine from Colombia through Brazil and Ecuador, Europol said.
In March 2021, authorities seized cocaine concealed in the modified floor of a cargo container at the Croatian port of Ploče. The shipment’s street value was estimated at 50 million euros ($52.8 million). Europol said the seizure highlighted a trend of international drug traffickers increasingly targeting smaller EU ports.
The arrests also shed light on the involvement of Balkan criminals in the global cocaine trade, as revealed by the takedown of encrypted communication platforms EncroChat, Sky ECC, and Anom.
The investigation has identified 18 suspects so far. Four are already in prison, and international warrants have been issued for three others, according to Europol.
Among those arrested Tuesday during the cross-border operation was a suspect identified by Serbian media as Dragan Mikić, allegedly the leader of the Pink Panthers, a notorious jewel-theft gang. Europol did not confirm the identity but said the suspect was involved in high-value thefts and escaped prison in the early 2000s.
Croatian media reported that the operation across the three Balkan countries came just a day after Ecuadorian authorities arrested Srđan Jezdimir, known in Ecuador as “the Serbian Escobar,” who is suspected of laundering millions of dollars in cocaine profits through Croatian and Slovak companies.
Authorities seized large quantities of weapons, ammunition, luxury vehicles, watches, and more than 1 million euros ($1.05 million) in cash during the operation. Â
One customs officer was arrested on suspicion of taking bribes to help the network evade police and customs inspections during drug exports.
Europol said the other arrests included members who played various roles in the network, such as managing criminal cells, financing operations, and coordinating logistics.
