ORGANIZED CRIME IN MONTENEGRO

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 PODGORICA 000229

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KCRM MW
SUBJECT: ORGANIZED CRIME IN MONTENEGRO

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1. (SBU) SUMMARY: A SMALL NUMBER OF ORGANIZED CRIME GROUPS IN
MONTENEGRO USE LINKS WITH GROUPS IN NEIGHBORING STATES AND
ELSEWHERE TO EXPLOIT MONTENEGRO FOR THE TRANSIT OF SMUGGLED
DRUGS, PEOPLE AND ARMS. THE GOM, LARGELY IN RESPONSE TO
INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE, IS CONFRONTING THE CRIMINAL GROUPS MORE
AGGRESSIVELY, AND HAS MOVED AGAINST CIGARETTE SMUGGLING, WHICH
BLIGHTED MONTENEGROS REPUTATION DURING THE 1990S ERA OF WAR AND
SANCTIONS. PUBLICITY IN MAY SURROUNDING POLICE AND SECURITY
AGENCY "DOSSIERS" ON CRIMINALS DREW ATTENTION BACK TO THE
PROBLEM. PM ZELJKO STURANOVIC HAS STATED THAT FIGHTING
CORRUPTION, ORGANIZED CRIME, AND TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS IS A
PRIORITY FOR HIS GOVERNMENT. ALTHOUGH SOME PROGRESS HAS BEEN
MADE, MONTENEGRO'S CAPACITY TO EFFECTIVELY PREVENT, MONITOR,
PROSECUTE AND TRY CRIMINAL CASES REMAINS LIMITED. END SUMMARY.



REGISTER OF CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES IN MONTENEGRO

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2. (U) ON MAY 8, LOCAL MEDIA EXTENSIVELY REPORTED ON RUMORS
ALLEGING THE EXISTENCE OF A REGISTER OF CRIMINAL ACTORS OR
GROUPS IN MONTENEGRO. THE REGISTER IS REPORTEDLY MAINTAINED BY
THE AGENCIJA ZA NACIONALNU BEZBJEDNOST (ANB),WHICH WAS SPLIT
OFF FROM THE MINISTRY OF INTERIOR AND THE POLICE IN 2005.




3. (SBU) DRUGS: THE "SECRET" ANB REGISTER, ACCORDING TO THE
MEDIA, SAID SEVERAL ORGANIZED GROUPS IN MONTENEGRO THAT DEAL
MAINLY IN DRUGS AND ARMS SMUGGLING ARE CONNECTED WITH CRIMINALS
FROM NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES, WESTERN EUROPE AND SOUTH AMERICA.
(N.B.: POST NOTES HOWEVER THAT THE ITALIAN EMBASSY HERE BELIEVES
THE FORMERLY THRIVING AND CLOSE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN ITALIAN
ORGANIZED CRIME AND MONTENEGRO HAS DWINDLED SIGNIFICANTLY. AND
THERE IS VERY LITTLE EVEN ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE ON THE SCALE OF THE
PRESENCE OF RUSSIAN ORGANIZED CRIME IN MONTENEGRO, IN SPITE OF
THE ARREST OF FIVE RUSSIANS FOR ATTEMPTING TO MOVE LARGE AMOUNTS
OF UNDECLARED CURRENCY. END NOTE.) ANB BELIEVES THAT MOST DRUGS
TRANSIT MONTENEGRO FROM ALBANIA, AFGHANISTAN, TURKEY, AND SOUTH
AMERICA, WITH THE MAJORITY OF DRUGS EXPORTED TO WESTERN EUROPE;
ONLY A SMALL PORTION REMAINS IN THE LOCAL MARKET. COCAINE IS
TRANSPORTED TO MONTENEGRO FROM SOUTH AMERICA, WHILE HEROIN COMES
FROM AFGHANISTAN, TURKEY AND ALBANIA. MARIJUANA LARGELY
ORIGINATES IN ALBANIA. ANB ASSERTS THAT MONTENEGRIN CRIMINALS
ARE PART OF A CHAIN OF LARGE DRUG TRANSFERS GOING TO SERBIA,
REPUBLIKA SRPSKA, BIH, CROATIA AND WESTERN EUROPE.




4. (U) EVEN THOUGH 70% OF THE DRUGS THAT ENTER MONTENEGRO ARE
TRANSHIPPED TO OTHER COUNTRIES, MONTENEGRO CONFRONTS A GROWING
DRUG ABUSE PROBLEM. FIFTY PERCENT OF PRISON INMATES WERE
CONVICTED FOR DRUG-RELATED CRIMES. DOMESTIC ABUSE IS LARGELY OF
MARIJUANA, WITH SOME ABUSE OF COCAINE AND HEROIN REPORTED. SMALL
QUANTITIES OF ECSTASY AND OTHER SYNTHETIC DRUGS ARE IMPORTED
FROM SERBIA, WITH MORE SMUGGLING AND USE DURING THE SUMMER
TOURISM SEASON.




5. (U) WEAPONS: SOME CRIMINAL GROUPS ARE SPORADICALLY ENGAGED IN
SMUGGLING WEAPONS AND EXPLOSIVE DEVICES, ACCORDING TO MEDIA
REPORTING ON THE ANB REPORT. THE RUGGED TERRAIN IN THE REGION
IS IDEAL FOR SMUGGLING. ANB BELIEVES THAT WEAPONS SMUGGLING GOES
THROUGH THE SAME CHANNELS, CONDUCTED BY THE SAME PERSONS, AS THE
TRANSFER OF NARCOTICS; OCCASIONALLY, WEAPONS ARE TRADED FOR
DRUGS. THE WEAPONS, MAINLY COMING FROM THE REPUBLIKA SRPSKA (IN
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA) OR STOLEN FROM THE INSTALLATIONS OF THE
FORMER STATE UNION MILITARY, ARE SMUGGLED FROM MONTENEGRO TO
ALBANIA MAINLY BY LAND ROUTES, AND ACROSS SKADAR LAKE.




6. (U) ILLEGAL MIGRATION: ILLEGAL MIGRANTS ALSO CROSS MONTENEGRO
INTO WESTERN EUROPE, ACCORDING TO MEDIA STORIES ON THE ANB
REPORT. ORGANIZERS ARE CRIMINAL GROUPS FROM THE REGION, OR FROM
WESTERN EUROPE, WITH MONTENEGRIN CRIMINALS INTEGRATED INTO THE
INTERNATIONAL NETWORK. ANB STATES THAT AFTER ARRIVING IN
MONTENEGRO, MIGRANTS GET IN TOUCH WITH MONTENEGRIN CONTACTS THAT
PROVIDE THEM TEMPORARY SHELTER IN THEIR HOMES OR OTHER
FACILITIES. THEY ARE THEN TRANSPORTED TOWARD THE BOSNIAN BORDER
WHERE THEY TRY TO CROSS OVER MOUNTAIN AND FOREST TRACKS WITH
ASSISTANCE OF THE LOCAL GUIDES. MIGRANTS COME TO MONTENEGRO FROM
ALBANIA THROUGH KOSOVO. THE ILLEGAL MIGRANTS ARE MAINLY KOSOVAR
ALBANIANS AND CITIZENS OF ALBANIA, TURKEY, AND ROMANIA.

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7. (SBU) TIP: NATIONAL ANTI-TIP COORDINATOR OBRENOVIC TOLD
POLOFF ON JUNE 11 THAT HE AGREED WITH THE LATEST USG TIP REPORT
WHEN IT STATED THAT "LOW-LEVEL CORRUPTION AMONG POLICE AND
CUSTOMS OFFICIALS ... ALLOWS SOME TRAFFICKERS TO EVADE LAW
ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS." IOM COUNTRY OFFICE DIRECTOR ZIVKOVIC HAS
REQUESTED USG SUPPORT FOR IOM EFFORTS TO HAVE THE MINISTRY OF
LABOR AND SOCIAL WELFARE ESTABLISH BETTER METHODS TO IDENTIFY
TIP VICTIMS.




8. (U) CAR THEFT: DURING THE 1990S MONTENEGRO WAS INFAMOUS AS
THE DESTINATION FOR MANY STOLEN VEHICLES OR VEHICLES "REMOVED
FROM INSURANCE" -- TONGUE IN CHEEK, THE TOURISM SLOGAN "WELCOME
TO MONTENEGRO, YOUR CAR IS ALREADY HERE" WAS PROPOSED. IN A JUST
A FEW YEARS, MONTENEGRO "IMPORTED" SOME 55,000 USED VEHICLES
FROM WESTERN EUROPE. SINCE 2003 NEW PROCEDURES, FACILITATED BY
BETTER COOPERATION WITH WESTERN EUROPEAN GOVERNMENTS, HAVE
MANDATED THAT THE TITLE AND PRIOR REGISTRATION, INCLUDING VIN,
OF ALL IMPORTED VEHICLES IS RIGIDLY CHECKED BEFORE BEING
REGISTERED IN MONTENEGRO.



THE ORGANIZATION OF CRIME

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9. (U) THE MEDIA STATES THAT THE ANB REPORT POSITS EIGHT
CRIMINAL CLANS IN MONTENEGRO: PODGORICA, BAR, AND ROZAJE HAVE
TWO EACH; NIKSIC AND BERANE HAVE ONE EACH. (A CONTEMPORANEOUS
MONTENEGRIN POLICE REPORT CLAIMS SEVEN CLANS: TWO IN BAR, ONE IN
EACH OF BUDVA, KOTOR, PODGORICA, NIKSIC AND BERANE, ALSO
ACCORDING TO PRESS ACCOUNTS.) ACCORDING TO THE PRESS, THE ANB
CHARACTERIZES THE CLANS AS FOLLOWS:



-- PODGORICA: THE TWO CLANS ARE INVOLVED IN THE SMUGGLING OF
NARCOTICS, WEAPONS AND EXPENSIVE CARS ACROSS THE BORDER, WITH
NARCOTICS GOING TO (AND THROUGH MONTENEGRO),WEAPONS FLOWING
INTO ALBANIA, AND CARS IN BOTH DIRECTIONS. THEY ARE CONNECTED
WITH CRIMINAL GROUPS IN SERBIA, CROATIA, BOSNIA, KOSOVO AND
ALBANIA. MEHMED BELA DJOKOVIC (NFI) IS MENTIONED AS HAVING A
CENTRAL ROLE IN THE ILLEGAL TRANSFER OF ALBANIANS FROM ALBANIA
AND KOSOVO TOWARDS WESTERN EUROPE AND THE U.S., AND HAS
REPORTEDLY BEEN CONVICTED AND SENTENCED SEVERAL TIMES ABROAD.



-- BAR: MONTENEGRO'S PORT. THESE CLANS ARE REPORTEDLY THE
LARGEST AND BEST ORGANIZED, PRINCIPALLY INVOLVED IN THE
SMUGGLING AND SALE OF COCAINE. THE LEADERSHIP IS ACCUSED OF THE
MURDER OF FORMER POLICE CHIEF SLAVOLJUB SCEKIC.



-- NIKSIC: MOSTLY ORIENTED TO SMUGGLING WITH THE REPUBLIKA
SRSPKA.



-- ROZAJE: VERY POWERFUL FINANCIALLY, AND CONNECTED TO CRIMINAL
STRUCTURES IN KOSOVO, THEY ARE CENTRALLY INVOLVED IN THE
SMUGGLING OF HEROIN FROM AFGHANISTAN AND TURKEY. LEAD FIGURE IS
SAFET KALIC, FROM ROZAJE (NFI).



-- BERANE: CONNECTED TO CRIMINAL GANGS BASED IN BELGRADE. THE
PRESS RECENTLY WROTE THAT MANY CRIMINALS FROM BERANE WERE
INVOLVED IN DRUGS SMUGGLING IN SCANDINAVIA.



ORGANISED CRIME AND TERRORISM

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10. (U) THE TRIAL OF A CRIMINAL GROUP, DRAWN FROM THE CRIMINAL
CLAN IN BAR, FOR THE AUGUST 2005 MURDER OF NATIONAL POLICE CHIEF
SLAVOLJUB SCEKIC, HAS RECENTLY BEGUN. AT THE TIME OF HIS DEATH,
SCEKIC WAS INVESTIGATING SEVERAL HIGH-PROFILE ORGANISED CRIME
ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING THE MURDER OF OPPOSITION NEWSPAPER EDITOR
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DUSKO JOVANOVIC IN MAY 2004. (THE ONLY SUSPECT ARRESTED IN THE
JOVANOVIC CASE WAS ACQUITED IN DECEMBER 2006.) THE TRIAL OF 18
ETHNIC ALBANIANS ARRESTED IN SEPTEMBER 2006 ON CHARGES OF
PLOTTING TERRORIST ACCTIVITIES IS ALSO IN PROGRESS.




11. (U) WITH THE APPOINTMENT OF A DEPUTY TO THE SPECIAL
PROSECUTOR CHARGED TO FIGHT ORGANISED CRIME, THE CAPACITY OF
THIS OFFICE IS BEING STRENGTHENED. MONTENEGRO COOPERATES
CLOSELY WITH INTERPOL. MONTENEGRO SIGNED MEMORANDA OF
COOPERATION IN FIGHTING ALL FORMS OF CRIME AND TERRORISM WITH
AUSTRIA, ALBANIA, BULGARIA, UNMIK, SERBIA, CROATIA AND THE
FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA, AS WELL AS WITH ITALY.



COUNTRY ACTIONS AGAINST ORGANIZED CRIME AND CORRUPTION



LEGISLATIVE MEASURES

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12. (U) FOLLOWING THE ADOPTION IN 2005 OF THE STRATEGY FOR
FIGHTING CORRUPTION AND ORGANISED CRIME, MONTENEGRO ADOPTED IN
AUGUST 2006 THE ACTION PLAN FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE
STRATEGY. ON MARCH 16, 2007, THE NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ACTION PLAN STARTED TO OPERATE. THE
CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMISSION IS DEPUTY PM GORDANA DJUROVIC, AND
HER DEPUTY IS MINISTER OF INTERIOR JUSUF KALAMPEROVIC. THE
OPERATIONAL HEAD IS THE CHIEF OF THE ANTI-CORRUPTION INITIATIVE,
FORMER DEPUTY JUSTICE MINISTER VESNA RATKOVIC (NOTE: BETWEEN
THESE TWO GOM POSITIONS, MS. RATKOVIC WAS USAID'S RULE OF LAW
SPECIALIST). MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION ARE THE MINISTERS OF
FINANCE AND JUSTICE; THE PRESIDENT OF THE SUPREME COURT; POLICE
DIRECTOR VESELIN VUKOTIC; VANJA CALOVIC, THE RESPECTED AND
OUTSPOKEN HEAD OF A WATCHDOG NGO; CHIEF STATE PROSECUTOR VESNA
MEDENICA; AND HEADS OF THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEES FOR
POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC SYSTEMS.




13. (SBU) THE STRUCTURE OF THE 2007 BUDGET MAKES FUNDING OF THE
JUDICIARY VULNERABLE TO POLITICAL INFLUENCE. THE EU AND OTHERS
HAVE URGED THE GOM TO MAKE THE JUDICIARY FINANCIALLY
INDEPENDENT, AS A MAJOR STEP IN STRENGTHENING THE RULE OF LAW
AND FIGHTING CORRUPTION. THERE HAVE BEEN NO POLICE ACTIONS OR
LEGAL TRIALS AGAINST MID-LEVEL OR SENIOR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS
FOR ORGANIZED CRIME AND CORRUPTION.





AGREEMENTS AND TREATIES

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14. (U) MONTENEGRO HAS RATIFIED THE UN CONVENTION AGAINST
COURRUPTION, THE UN CONVENTION AGAINST TRANSNATIONAL ORGANISED
CRIME, THE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION ON FIGHTING TERRORISM, AND
BECAME A MEMBER OF THE IOM ON NOVEMBER 2006. MONTENEGRO HAS
ACCEPTED THE THE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION FOR THE SUPPRESSION OF
ACTS OF NUCLEAR TERRORISM. MONTENEGRO WORKS WITH ITS NEIGHBORS
BILATERALLY AND IN REGIONAL INITIATIVES TO COMBAT ORGANIZED
CRIME AND TRAFFICKING, AND IS SIGNATORY TO THE NEW SOUTH-EAST
EUROPEAN COOPERATION PROCESS (SEECP) AND THE SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE
COOPERATIVE INITIATIVE (SECI).



ACCESSION TO INTERPOL

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15. (U) MONTENEGRO JOINED INTERPOL AS ITS 185TH MEMBER IN
SEPTEMBER 2006. BEGINNING IN 2001, MONTENEGRO HAD BEEN CONNECTED
TO INTERPOL'S HEADQUARTERS IN LYON, FRANCE, THROUGH BELGRADE.
THE MEDIA REPORT THAT NINE MONTENEGRIN CITIZENS HAVE BEEN
ARRESTED ABROAD, UNDER ARREST WARRANTS ISSUED BY THE MONTENGRIN
POLICE, SINCE MONTENEGRO JOINED INTERPOL. ONE OF THEM, ANDRIJA
PEKIC, IS EXPECTED TO BE EXTRADITED TO MONTENEGRO FROM THE U.S.
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PEKIC HAD BEEN CONVICTED IN ABSENTIA OF RAPE AND SENTENCED TO
FOUR YEARS IN PRISON.



BORDER MANAGEMENT

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16. (U) WITH SMUGGLING A MAJOR FACTOR IN ORGANIZED CRIME, BORDER
SECURITY HAS A PROMINENT ROLE. THE MINISTRY OF INTERIOR TOOK
CONTROL OF MONTENEGRO'S SHARE OF THE STATE UNION'S BORDERS FROM
THE ARMY IN 2003. THE ELEVEN BORDER CROSSINGS HAVE BEEN
RECONSTRUCTED, WITH USG (NINE) AND EU (TWO) SUPPORT.
CROSS-BORDER COOPERATION WITH NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES HAS BEEN
UPGRADED. THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR THIS WAS COMPLETED BY THE
ADOPTION OF THE LAW ON THE STATE BORDER IN NOVEMBER 2005. A
STRATEGY ON INTEGRATED BORDER MANAGEMENT (IBM) WAS ADOPTED IN
FEBRUARY 2006, ALTHOUGH COOPERATION BETWEEN THE FOUR MAIN BODIES
(MINISTRY OF INTERIOR, CUSTOMS, VETERINARY SERVICE,
PHYTO-SANITARY SERVICE) CURRENTLY IMPLEMENTING THE STRATEGY
NEEDS IMPROVEMENT.



COMMENT

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17. (SBU) "CORRUPTION AND ORGANIZED CRIME" IS A UNITARY PHRASE
IN MONTENEGRO, IN PART BECAUSE IT IS A FAVORITE THEME OF THE
POLITICAL OPPOSITION. HOWEVER, THIS IS AN INCREASINGLY IMPRECISE
CHARACTERIZATION OF THE SITUATION. HISTORICALLY, ORGANIZED CRIME
ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY MEANT SMUGGLING THROUGH MONTENEGRO. THAT
PHENOMENOM MADE IT EASY FOR OFFICIALS TO LOOK AWAY, OR EVEN
SUPPORT, CRIMINAL ACTIVITY - ESPECIALLY IN THE 1990S WHEN
MONTENEGRO WAS OTHERWISE POLITICALLY AND ECONOMICALLY ISOLATED
THROUGH WARTIME SANCTIONS. THE MURDERS OF A PROMINENT EDITOR IN
2004, AND OF THE POLICE CHIEF IN 2005, PROBABLY BY LOCAL
ORGANIZED CRIME FIGURES, ALTERED SOME PERCEPTIONS. INCREASINGLY
INTERNAL PRESSURE, AFTER MONTENEGRIN INDEPENDENCE, AND IN
CONNECTION WITH ITS BIDS FOR EU (AND NATO) MEMBERSHIP, HAVE ALSO
RAISED THE CONCERNS ABOUT (ILLEGAL) BUSINESS AS USUAL.




18. (SBU) EVEN WITH INCREASED POLITICAL WILL, MONTENEGRO IS
HAMSTRUNG IN ATTACKING ORGANIZED CRIME. IT IS ONLY RECENTLY,
AND ONLY WITH OUTSIDE (PRIMARILY USG) HELP, THAT MONTENEGRO HAS
EVEN THE RUDIMENTS OF THE LEGISLATION, EQUIPMENT, AND TRAINING
NEEDED TO INVESTIGATE AND PROSECUTE ORGANIZED CRIME.
ADDITIONALLY HAMPERING THE FIGHT IS MONTENEGRO'S SMALL AND
CLOSE-KNIT SOCIETY, WHICH MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO STRIKE HARD AND
WITHOUT NOTICE AT MAJOR CRIME OPERATIONS. STRONGER GOVERNMENT
TRANSPARENCY MEASURES WILL HELP BREAK THE CASUAL LINKS BETWEEN
CRIME CLANS AND GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, BY EXPOSING UNEXPECTED
WEALTH, AND INCREASING THE VISIBILITY OF DECISION MAKING.
BARNES
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