The trial of 16 individuals accused of operating an international drug trafficking syndicate began in Belgrade on Thursday. Those indicted include the infamous Balkan drug lord Darko Šarić, who allegedly masterminded the criminal operation; Šarić’s group allegedly smuggled more than 5,500 kilograms of cocaine from South America into Western Europe.
Šarić and an alleged key member in the criminal venture, Montenegrin businessman Rodoljub Radulović, remain at large and will be tried in absentia. Fourteen others accused of complicity are also on the run; only seven of the indicted are in custody and will appear in court, according to media reports.
The trial has brought controversy to the highest levels of Serbian politics, as links between Radulović and Prime Minister Ivica Dačić including private meetings during a police investigation into Radulović, have come to light. At the time of his alleged crimes, Dačić was serving as Interior Minister and headed the police in Serbia. Radulović’s lawyer downplayed the importance of his client’s connection to the Prime Minister in statements to journalists outside the courthouse, according to local media, reportedly saying, “They had a friendly relationship, the kind Radulović had with many politicians, businessmen and celebrities.” The attorney denied any “political or criminal” connections between the two men.
Šarić’s drug operation functioned largely unhindered until 2009, when a shipment of 1.8 tons of cocaine which originated in Argentina and was bound for Europe was intercepted. Šarić and Radulović were implicated in the trafficking attempt.
OCCRP published a series of stories in 2012 highlighting the deep connections between Šarić and Radulović, which included the sale of a multimillion dollar company. The investigations also uncovered a long history of fraud, deceptive contracts, defaults and what court records labeled “sham’”companies designed to funnel money from international transactions to Radulovic and his companies.