Video: Sting by Dutch, Serbian police leads to arrests of "Balkans' biggest drug lords"

A sting by the Dutch, Serbian, and Belgian police resulted in the takedown of “the biggest drug trafficking criminal organization in the Balkan region,” Europol reported on Friday. The Serbian authorities seized 5 million euros in assets and arrested 13 people, including the three alleged leaders of this criminal organization.

The arrests and seizures happened during coordinated raids in the Netherlands and Serbia on Thursday, targeting the cartel’s leadership and distribution infrastructure. The Dutch and Serbian police searched 35 houses. They seized 15 high-end cars, jewelry and watches, almost 3 million euros in cash, and various weapons and explosives.

Seven other members of this criminal organization were previously arrested in Belgium in 2021. Two were caught in Serbia and Peru, and one in the Netherlands earlier this month.

The operation results from messages intercepted from encrypted chat services Sky ECC and Anon. “This criminal organization is believed to be behind multi-ton cocaine shipments that made their way to Europe directly from Colombia, Brazil, and Ecuador, or by transiting via logistical infrastructures in West Africa,” Europol said. The investigation linked at least 7 tons of cocaine seized in European ports in 2020 to this cartel - 700 kilograms seized in Rotterdam, 1.2 tons seized in Hasselt in Belgium, and 5 tons seized in Aruba.

“The gang is known in the criminal underworld for its violence and involvement in high-end robberies,” Europol said. “The criminal kingpins, arrested in Belgrade as part of this operation, were the biggest cocaine traffickers in the Western Balkans.”