Police arrest 11 linked to Balkan cocaine traffickers

Police in the Balkans arrested 11 alleged members of criminal syndicate responsible for smuggling cocaine from South America to Europe, Croatia said Wednesday, in the latest effort to crack down on traffickers.

The arrests were carried out during raids Tuesday that saw police seize weapons, large amounts of ammunition along with luxury cars and cash, Croatia’s interior ministry said in a statement.

The so-called Balkans route is a vital transit network long used by criminals to smuggle drugs, weapons, and people into western Europe.

Eight suspects were arrested in Serbia, while two were taken into custody in Bosnia and another individual was apprehended in Croatia, the statement added.

“The cocaine dealers used different maritime routes… and are linked with the seizure of more than 500 kilogrammes (1,102 pounds) of cocaine… in 2021 at Croatia’s port of Ploce,” the statement said.

The drugs — worth a potential street value of 50 million euros ($53 million) — were hidden in a cargo container.

“The seizure showed the international drug smuggling groups increasingly target smaller EU ports,” the ministry added.

One of the suspects arrested in Serbia was also wanted for his alleged membership in the Pink Panthers jewel heist gang — a notorious international criminal network that has drawn many of its members from the Balkans.

AFP