Serbia’s diplomatic mission in Lisbon allegedly served as a safe location for storing cocaine connected to a Montenegrin criminal clan, according to reports citing intercepted communications.
At the time, Serbia’s ambassador to Portugal was Oliver Antić, one of the founders of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party led by Aleksandar Vučić.
Messages about hiding cocaine in the embassy
The report, based on correspondence obtained from the Sky ECC network, refers to messages between former Milo Božović and his associate Ivan Mijatović.
In one message from 2020, Mijatović allegedly suggested taking 100 kilograms of cocaine from the cruise ship MSC Fantasia and storing it inside the Serbian embassy in Lisbon if necessary.
According to the reported message, he wrote that if their plan failed within minutes, he would take the shipment directly to the embassy, implying it would be a safe location.
Controversial background of the ambassador
Ambassador Oliver Antić had previously been involved in several controversies.
His name was linked to the Index Affair, which involved allegations that exams and diplomas at the law faculty were being sold for bribes ranging from €500 to €16,000.
He was also the subject of a criminal complaint alleging sexual abuse of his nine-year-old daughter, though the case remained unresolved after his death in 2022 near the Atlantic Ocean.
Other alleged links between political circles and drug cases
Driver linked to Vučić’s circle
Another case involved Petar Filipović from Obrenovac, who was arrested in late 2024 with 34 packages of heroin in a luxury vehicle.
The case drew attention because Filipović had reportedly been seen as a member of the security circle around President Vučić at a celebration organized by the pro-government newspaper Informer.
Despite the discovery of the drugs, prosecutors later treated the case as possession for personal use, proposing a suspended sentence and mandatory addiction treatment.
The Jovanjica marijuana plantation case
One of Serbia’s most widely known drug scandals is the Jovanjica Case, involving a large marijuana plantation linked to businessman Predrag Koluvija.
Prosecutors accuse Koluvija of organizing a criminal group that produced and sold marijuana illegally, while some members of Serbian security services were allegedly involved in protecting the operation.
Vučić publicly defended Koluvija at one point, noting that the suspect had spent two years in detention despite denying the allegations.
Another major marijuana seizure
In another operation in the village of Konjuh, police discovered five tons of marijuana on property owned by Rade Spasojević.
Opposition figures claimed Spasojević was a close associate of Bratislav Gašić, a long-time political ally of Vučić.
Authorities also seized weapons including automatic rifles and rocket launchers during the raid.
Vučić’s godfather and a cocaine test
Another controversial case involved Nikola Petrović, who caused a traffic accident in March 2023.
Initial tests reportedly showed alcohol and cocaine in his system, but later expert opinions reduced the alcohol level and stated it was impossible to determine when cocaine had been consumed.
The criminal charge was eventually dropped, and the case ended as a minor misdemeanor procedure, which later expired due to legal time limits.
