Police arrest 11 linked to Balkan cocaine ring, including alleged member of

Police within the Balkans arrested 11 alleged members of a legal syndicate chargeable for smuggling cocaine from South America to Europe, Croatia mentioned Wednesday, within the newest effort to crack down on traffickers. Among the many individuals arrested was a suspect who can be needed for his alleged membership within the infamous “Pink Panthers” jewel heist gang.

The arrests had been carried out throughout raids Tuesday that noticed police seize weapons, giant quantities of ammunition together with luxurious automobiles and money, Croatia’s inside ministry mentioned in a statement.

The so-called Balkans route is an important transit community lengthy utilized by criminals to smuggle medicine, weapons, and other people into western Europe.

Eight suspects had been arrested in Serbia, whereas two had been taken into custody in Bosnia and one other particular person was apprehended in Croatia, the assertion added.

“The cocaine sellers used completely different maritime routes… and are linked with the seizure of greater than 500 kilogrammes (1,102 kilos) of cocaine… in 2021 at Croatia’s port of Ploce,” the assertion mentioned.

The medicine — value a possible road worth of fifty million euros ($53 million) — had been hidden in a cargo container, and the ministry launched several images displaying packages of the cocaine.

“The seizure confirmed the worldwide drug smuggling teams more and more goal smaller EU ports,” the ministry added.

One of many suspects arrested in Serbia was additionally needed for his alleged membership within the Pink Panthers jewel heist gang — a infamous worldwide legal community that has drawn a lot of its members from the Balkans. As “60 Minutes” reported in 2014, the Pink Panthers have accomplished jobs in dozens of nations, and lots of members fought within the Serbian particular forces throughout the Bosnian wars.

In latest months, members of Balkan cartels and gangs have been linked to main cocaine trafficking operations.

In June, European police forces arrested about 40 individuals in a years-long operation to bust a significant drug smuggling ring, resulting in the seizure of eight tons of cocaine. Many members of the community had been from international locations within the Balkans, Europol mentioned.

“Critical assessments are that the Balkan cartel is chargeable for the provision of… greater than half of cocaine” in Europe, a Croat police officer, Tomislav Stambuk, mentioned on the time.

A month later, Spanish police introduced the takedown of a significant community transporting Latin American cocaine into Europe by boat in a global operation involving 50 arrests throughout eight international locations.  The community included members of the so-called Balkan cartel who had been “dwelling the excessive life” in Spain’s southern Costa del Sol, police mentioned.