Certain organized criminal groups have more than 200 members, it is written in the document on the assessment of the danger of serious and organized crime in Montenegro (SOCTA), which was adopted yesterday at the session of the Bureau for Operational Coordination (BOK).
In that document, which was prepared by an interdepartmental team, ten criminal clans were recorded, three of which are the most dangerous - Kavački, Škaljarski and the group gathered around Beranac. Vuk Vulević, "Vijesti" was told unofficially.
According to police data, they are at the head of the Kavac clan Slobodan Kascelan i Radoje Switzerland, while the rival, schmaltzy group is led by brothers Jovan i Igor Vukotić.
The interdepartmental team also recorded drug smuggling as the main business of organized criminal groups.
The SOCTA document lists clan leaders, hierarchical division within crime groups, their financial power, corrupt network, and criminal activities.
"It has been estimated that the biggest security threat to the country comes from three high-risk organized criminal groups - Kavaka, Škalja and Beran. The Budva criminal group is not far behind them either, but these three are certainly the most risky", said the interlocutor of "Vijesti".
He explained that the focus of the document is organized crime with elements of serious crimes, the fight against drug smuggling and high-level corruption.
"In the assessment of the danger of serious and organized crime in Montenegro in 2022 - 2025, there is one less criminal group than in the last one, but they are clearly classified according to the danger posed by them. Of course, in accordance with that, a plan of dealing with them will be made, because it is more than necessary that we know what the priorities are", said the same interlocutor.
LIST OF PRIORITIES
BOK also proposed a list of national priorities in the fight against serious and organized crime, stating that these are those areas of serious and organized crime which, based on relevant indicators, have been determined to represent the greatest danger to the respect and implementation of the basic principles of the rule of law.
They assessed that the biggest threats to security and socio-economic interests, as well as priorities in the fight against serious and organized crime, are high-risk organized criminal groups, drug trafficking, corruption, with a special focus on high-level corruption, illegal migration and human trafficking. , smuggling of excise goods, cyber crime and terrorism and extremism.
The BOK will submit the list of priorities to the National Security Council.
BOK announced yesterday that the document targets organized criminal groups and threats to the national security of Montenegro.
They explained that the document was prepared by the Interdepartmental Operational Team composed of representatives of the intelligence and security sector and the prosecution.
After the session where SOCTA was adopted, they announced that the document contains data on identified criminal groups with connection schemes, structure and roles of their members.
"We point out that public versions of SOCTA will soon be available, so that the public can become familiar with the key characteristics of criminal activities that are dealt with in the document in question," the statement reads.
It was also clarified that with the adoption of this document, preconditions have been created to start planning and implementing further measures and actions in the fight against serious and organized crime, with a focus on identified priorities, in accordance with the competences of the BOK and other authorities of the intelligence and security sector.
The last such document was prepared by the police in 2017, when it was stated in the SOCTA document that 11 organized criminal groups (OKG) operate in Montenegro, which is three times less than what was disclosed in the SOCTA report in 2010, when 35 organized criminal groups were recorded. .
In the part related to monitoring the implementation of activities that are implemented through inter-agency cooperation, the BOK adopted the report on the work of the National Interdepartmental Operational Team for the Suppression of Violent Extremism, Terrorism, Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing.
He presided over the session Dritan Abazovic, and it was attended by the members of that Bureau - the director of the Police Administration Zoran Brđanin, director of the National Security Agency Dejan Vuksic, director general of the Intelligence and Security Directorate, Lt. Col Todor Goranović, Acting Director General of the Directorate for Security Affairs and Supervision Petar Koprivica. By invitation, the chief special prosecutor also attended the session Vladimir Novović and Secretary of the National Operational Team for Countering Violent Extremism, Terrorism, Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Kristina Djukanovic.
Abazović: Individuals only now registered in the SOCTA document
Security sector coordinator Dritan Abazović told "Vijesta" yesterday that with the adoption of the SOCTA document, the great obligation that the BOK assumed during its formation was successfully completed, but also that the names of individuals who had to be "recorded" long ago were entered in that document for the first time.
"After almost a couple of years, Montenegro received SOCTA for the period 2022-2025. the year in which the greatest threats to national security were defined and high-risk organized criminal groups were clearly defined, which the security sector will deal with in particular. The members of all criminal groups operating on the territory of our country, as well as their 'debts', have been recorded. I can't talk about names, but some will be in SOCTA for the first time, even though they should have been there before," said the Deputy Prime Minister and head of BOK.
He pointed out that they now have the task of defining priorities and determining the way to prevent and suppress crime.
"Simply put, Montenegro has listed criminal groups and persons who are a threat to national security. Now we know exactly who our enemies are and who we have to fight against," said Abazović
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