VZCZCXRO2302
RR RUEHAG RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHNP RUEHROV RUEHSL RUEHSR
DE RUEHBW #0035/01 0551737
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 241737Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY BELGRADE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0915
INFO EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUZEJAA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BELGRADE 000035 
 
SIPDIS 
AMEMBASSY ASTANA PASS TO AMCONSUL ALMATY 
AMEMBASSY ANKARA PASS TO AMCONSUL ADANA 
AMEMBASSY BELGRADE PASS TO AMEMBASSY PODGORICA 
AMEMBASSY ATHENS PASS TO AMCONSUL THESSALONIKI 
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PASS TO AMCONSUL VLADIVOSTOK 
AMEMBASSY BERLIN PASS TO AMCONSUL DUSSELDORF 
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PASS TO AMCONSUL YEKATERINBURG 
AMEMBASSY BERLIN PASS TO AMCONSUL LEIPZIG 
AMEMBASSY HELSINKI PASS TO AMCONSUL ST PETERSBURG 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2020/02/24 
TAGS: PREL PGOV SNAR KCRM SR MW
SUBJECT: SERBIA: FINGERPOINTING CONTINUES IN MAJOR ORGANIZED CRIME 
CASE 
 
REF: 10 BELGRADE 29; 10 PODGORICA 25; 09 BELGRADE 212 
09 BELGRADE 469 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Mary Warlick, Ambassador, State, EXEC; REASON: 1.4(B), 
(D) 
 
Summary 
 
------- 
 
 
 
¶1.  (C) Serbian efforts to crack down on narcotics trafficking and 
organized crime have led to several arrests, including in the 
Operation Balkan Warrior case, which began with Serbian cooperation 
in seizing two tons of cocaine in October 2009.  Montenegrin-born 
organized crime figure Darko Saric has been implicated in the case, 
but cooperation between Montenegro and Serbia has faltered as both 
sides have traded accusations that there is no will to see the case 
through.  The case became further complicated with press 
allegations of high-level Serbian Interior Ministry links to Saric. 
Our police contacts tell us there is some truth to the rumors and 
they are seeing signs of political interference.  However, Interior 
Minister Dacic, who is concerned about his reputation, and the 
Presidential Administration, which is eager to achieve progress in 
the fight against organized crime, are unlikely to let the case 
fall apart.  End Summary. 
 
 
 
Serbia Steps up Anti-Narcotics Efforts 
 
-------------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶2. (SBU) Serbian police have stepped up domestic efforts and 
international cooperation over the past few months to combat 
narcotics trafficking.  Serbian authorities cooperated with the 
U.S. and other countries in the seizure of over two tons of cocaine 
off the coast of Uruguay in October 2009 in Operation Balkan 
Warrior.  That same month, Serbian police conducted the nationwide 
Operation Morava, to arrest domestic drug dealers.  Since October, 
the Morava operation has continued, and there have been periodic 
arrests in connection with Operation Balkan Warrior.  Both 
operations were highly publicized, and Interior Minister Ivica 
Dacic - as well as President Tadic and other senior GOS officials 
-- regularly mentions them, noting that combating organized crime, 
narco-trafficking, and corruption are their highest priorities.  As 
further examples of his efforts, Dacic also touts regular 
cooperation with Bosnia, Montenegro, Croatia, and EU countries (Ref 
A). 
 
 
 
¶3. (SBU) On January 28, press reports indicated that Serbia had 
requested an Interpol Red Notice for Montenegro-born Serbian 
organized crime figure Darko Saric in connection with the Balkan 
Warrior Case (Ref B).  Serbian press reported that Montenegrin 
authorities had searched Saric's property in Montenegro but failed 
to find Saric himself.  Serbian police also arrested five more 
individuals connected to the case.  Press reported that on February 
8, Montenegrin police arrested two Saric associates, Goran Sokovic 
and Dejan Sekulovac, both Montenegrin citizens who could therefore 
not be extradited to Serbia.  Serbia's Special Court for Organized 
Crime is currently conducting a pre-trial investigation before 
filing formal charges.  On February 16, the Special Court ordered 
seizure of Saric's Serbian assets. 
 
 
 
Mudslinging with Montenegro 
 
--------------------------- 
 
BELGRADE 00000035  002 OF 003 
 
 
¶4. (SBU) Trouble between Serbia and Montenegro appeared shortly 
after the February 8 Sokovic and Sekulovac arrests, when it became 
public that Saric was seeking Montenegrin citizenship.  (Saric, a 
Serbian citizen, reportedly began the process of renouncing Serbian 
citizenship and seeking Montenegrin citizenship shortly after 
Balkan Warrior began.  In order to complete this process, the 
Serbian government would have to release him from Serbian 
citizenship, which is not likely under current circumstances.)  On 
February 9, the press quoted Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo 
Djukanovic as saying that there were no obstacles to Saric 
obtaining Montenegrin citizenship, a statement widely interpreted 
in Serbia as Montenegrin willingness to protect Saric from 
prosecution.  Montenegro subsequently disregarded a Serbian request 
for extension of detention and released Sokovic and Sekulovac, 
citing a lack of evidence from Serbia. 
 
 
 
¶5. (C) This action set off a string of well-publicized barbs 
between Serbian and Montenegrin officials.  Serbian officials 
accused Montenegro of lacking the will to cooperate and of 
protecting Saric.  Montenegrin officials were quoted accusing 
Serbia of not arresting Saric when they had the chance and of 
trying to "destabilize" Montenegro.  On February 17 the Montenegro 
police stated publicly that Saric was not in Montenegro while the 
Serbian police continued to insist that all information pointed to 
him being there.  (Note:  Our contacts tell us that Serbian police 
and officials in reality agree that Saric is not in Montenegro.) 
In order to resolve the problems of cooperation, Montenegrin 
Justice Minister Miras Radovic will travel to Belgrade on Thursday, 
February 25 to meet Serbian Justice Minister Snezana Malovic. 
 
 
 
¶6.  (C) In a February 22 meeting with DAS Stu Jones in Belgrade, 
Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic said the GoS was serious about taking 
on the fight against organized crime.  Jeremic asked that in 
addition to the intelligence support the DEA is giving the GoS, 
Washington now needed to give Serbia "political" support in order 
to resolve the political difficulties Serbia was having with 
Montenegro over the case.  Jeremic said both President Tadic and 
Presidential Advisor Miki Rakic had taken on this organized crime 
fight at personal risk to themselves, stressing that the criminals 
had significant political influence due to the "billions of 
dollars" at their disposal.  DAS Jones also raised the case during 
a February 23 meeting with Tadic's National Security Advisor, Miki 
Rakic, who said indicated Serbia was reluctant to share information 
with Montenegro at this early stage of the case due to concern that 
doing so might cut off current GOS investigation efforts.  Rakic 
said three key suspects in the case had been released by the 
Montenegrin police despite notices from Argentina and Serbia in two 
cases, and Denmark and Serbia in the third. Rakic welcomed the 
meeting later this week between the two countries' justice 
ministers and emphasized that Serbia had no political agenda apart 
from achieving real results in this case. 
 
 
 
Leaks and Links with Serbian Police? 
 
------------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶7. (SBU) Meanwhile, the local media has speculated that there were 
leaks in the investigation and possible ties between Interior 
Minister Dacic's staff and Saric.  On February 5, Belgrade daily 
Blic alleged that Dacic Chief of Cabinet Branko Lazarevic had ties 
to Saric, noting that two close Saric associates were on the 
managing board of a company owned by Lazarevic's brother-in-law 
Nikola Dmitrijevic.  Lazarevic himself once held a 40% share in the 
company, which he reportedly sold before the Saric associates 
invested.  Press shortly afterward began reporting that Saric had 
been tipped off that he was a suspect in the Balkan Warrior case, 
 
BELGRADE 00000035  003 OF 003 
 
 
enabling him to evade arrest and probably otherwise hamper the 
investigation.  Dacic told reporters on February 11 that he had 
ordered an investigation into the allegations and would resign if 
it turned out that his chief of staff had links to organized crime. 
He emphasized that he completely supported the investigation. 
 
 
 
¶8. (C) The Ministry of Interior is being extremely tight-lipped 
about the allegations against Lazarevic, but some police contacts 
tell us they are concerned about political interference in the 
Saric investigation now that Dacic's closest advisor has been 
implicated.  Some contacts have told us that there is substance to 
the allegations about connections to Lazarevic (a businessman 
before taking the job as Dacic's top advisor).  According to 
contacts, Dacic made Lazarevic responsible for the continued Balkan 
Warrior investigation, including determining if there were any 
leaks from Interior.  Lazarevic assigned the latter task to MUP's 
Internal Control Chief, Dragoljub Radovic, who our contacts tell us 
was instructed to investigate every police officer on the Balkan 
Warrior case.  (Note: Radovic has an uneasy relationship with 
Police Director Veljovic, who is popular within the ranks of 
police.)  Police working on the case are now reportedly fearful 
that they may be transferred, forcing new officers to start from 
scratch and weakening the investigation. 
 
 
 
Comment 
 
------- 
 
 
 
¶9. (C) The battle against organized crime that President Tadic 
announced in March 2009 (Ref C) has produced notable breakthroughs, 
including the June 2009 arrest of mafia kingpin Joca Amsterdam (Ref 
D) and the October 2009 cocaine seizure in Balkan Warrior.  There 
are significant obstacles to success in the Saric investigation, 
however.  Conflicts within the Ministry of Interior, where the old 
guard resents and distrusts Dacic and his inner circle of advisors, 
at times impede work and give rise to suspicions that allegations 
such as those against Lazarevic are motivated by personal animus. 
We judge it unlikely that Dacic, fresh from his visit to the United 
States, will allow even his most trusted advisor to damage his 
hard-won reputation as an effective Interior Minister; to preserve 
his credibility Dacic will have to ensure that the allegations 
against Lazarevic are fully investigated, and take decisive action 
if they are substantiated.  Strained relations with Montenegro, due 
in part to its establishment of diplomatic relations with Kosovo, 
have also made it more difficult to work this challenging 
transnational case.  The attention being given to this case by 
President Tadic's closest advisors, as well as his own personal 
engagement, suggest that this has become a serious priority for the 
government.  We are also hopeful that the engagement of Justice 
Minister Malovic, a pragmatic interlocutor who generally avoids 
politicizing sensitive issues, will help get cooperation with 
Montenegro back on track.  End Comment. 
WARLICK