Instead of focusing on the arrested head of the Belgrade police, accusations have been directed toward Montenegro.
While the public is waiting for answers following the arrest and dismissal of the chief of police in Serbia’s capital, the country’s president has accused Montenegro of “importing” drug clans into Serbia.
These claims made by Aleksandar Vučić have so far not been commented on by official Podgorica.
Neither the Government of Montenegro nor the Ministry of Interior of that country have responded to questions from Radio Free Europe.
Deputy Chair of the Committee for Security and Defense in the Parliament of Montenegro, Nikola Zirojević, described these statements as inappropriate.
“If you ask Vučić, we are all Serbs in Montenegro, only criminals are Montenegrins and come from Montenegro,” he said.
This opposition Social Democrat MP argued that the more important question is “why someone from any country sees Serbia as a suitable ground for engaging in crime.”
“And I think the answer to that question should be sought within the borders of Serbia, specifically from the executive power in Serbia,” Zirojević said.
What has been said about the arrest of Milić?
Veselin Milić was in one of the highest-ranking positions in Serbia’s Ministry of Interior (MUP) when he was arrested.
He is suspected of covering up the murder of a man, who media link to a criminal group in Belgrade.
The man was killed in a restaurant in Belgrade, where Milić was also present.
In addition to him, three police officers have also been arrested.
The prosecution suspects that Milić was in the restaurant with two individuals suspected of the murder and that he called the victim, suggesting he come to resolve disputes between them.
It is also alleged that he advised the victim not to come with personal security.
During an extraordinary address, a day after the arrest of the Belgrade police chief, Vučić did not provide many details about Milić’s role but spoke extensively about Montenegrin criminal clans.
Serbian lawyer and former police minister Božo Prelević believes Vučić’s statements about Montenegro are an attempt to divert attention from what happened in Belgrade.
“…that in a restaurant, which is almost closed to the public, a serious murder took place, that the body has disappeared, and that members of the MUP have been arrested,” Prelević told Radio Free Europe.
The body of the victim has still not been found, while search operations reportedly involve the army.
What does Vučić accuse Montenegro of?
Without directly linking it to the case involving the Belgrade police chief, Vučić on May 16 made a series of accusations against Montenegro.
“They killed half our state. The Shkalar and Kavač villages are not near Belgrade, but you imported this evil here,” he said.
The Kavač and Škaljari clans are two rival criminal groups from Kotor, Montenegro, whose conflict began in 2014 after a shipment of cocaine disappeared in Valencia.
Since then, more than 70 people have been killed in clashes across Montenegro, Serbia, and other countries.
These groups are linked to international drug trafficking, murders, and other criminal activities.
Radoje Zvicer is considered one of the leaders of the notorious Kavač clan and is on Europe’s most-wanted list of 50 people.
Since 2020, when he was seriously wounded in Kyiv, his whereabouts have been unknown.
Jovan Vukotić, once the leader of the Škaljari clan, was killed in 2022 in Istanbul.
Investigative journalist Vuk Cvijić says criminal groups from Serbia and Montenegro are intertwined and cooperate with each other.
“This cannot be separated on national grounds. Many of them hold passports of both states,” he said.
According to him, the fact that these groups have operated in Serbia shows they have felt safe there.
Vučić also mentioned Milos Medenica, who has been convicted in Montenegro for organized crime and is currently on the run, claiming he is being protected by the Kavač clan in Montenegro.
Montenegrin police previously stated that videos published by Medenica on social media could have been created using artificial intelligence, although experts say there is not enough evidence for such claims.
Escalation on the 20th anniversary of Montenegro’s independence
Lawyer Prelević believes Vučić’s accusations against Montenegro, which this month marks 20 years since its separation from the state union with Serbia, are politically motivated.
“Are Croats, Montenegrins, Macedonians now the problem? A smoke bomb needs to be thrown and someone must give explanations,” he said.
He also finds significant the behavior of pro-government tabloids regarding the case of the former Belgrade police chief.
“When this happened, there was silence in state tabloids, meaning they were not allowed to write. Then [Vučić] said something about Montenegrins and they immediately started writing about it,” he said.
On the occasion of Montenegro’s independence anniversary, Vučić made harsh statements and refused to attend celebrations.
“I love Serbia more than anything in the world, and to celebrate something like that would be shameful,” he said on May 14.
Montenegro’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs described these statements as politically irresponsible.
