A gang of drug traffickers were planning the assassination of Montenegrin Deputy Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic in revenge for the recent arrests of several of its members, the Interior Ministry said on Monday.
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Montenegrin police last week arrested Slobodan Kascelan, the alleged leader of this group known as “
the Kavac clan
”, a town in the Bay of Kotor, on the Montenegrin Adriatic coast, and five other members of this criminal group. Members of this gang are waging a merciless war against a rival gang and neighboring Skaljari since the disappearance in 2014, in a Spanish port, of some 300 kilos of cocaine, according to the local press. These settling of scores have since claimed more than 40 victims, in Montenegro, Serbia, but also in Greece, Spain, Ukraine and Austria.
After these arrests, Deputy Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic hailed "
the greatest success in a decade
" in the fight against organized crime. But authorities revealed details of a revenge plan prepared by gang members on Monday. They intended "
to take actions aimed at endangering the life of the Deputy Prime Minister (...) in reaction to their arrests and prosecution for having committed crimes,
" the ministry said. the Interior in a press release.
They are accused of various crimes, including murder.
Eight other gang members are wanted.
“
We are dealing with criminal groups with regional influence
,” Abazovic also said.
“
Montenegro will face organized crime (...).
We promise that organized crime will not rule this country,
”he said.
A former Yugoslav Republic of 620,000 inhabitants, Montenegro is considered a hub for the trafficking of cigarettes and drugs.
Local gangs are said to have direct links with criminal groups in South America, giving them a dominant position in transporting cocaine to Europe.
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