Europol on action Florida I: In Montenegro, searches at 33, out of a total of 37 locations, revealed possible links with the 'Ndrangeta

Europol published a statement on the operation "Florida I" carried out by the Montenegrin police, emphasizing that it was an international operation in which police structures from Croatia, Italy, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia and Spain participated, with the support of Europol.

The announcement states that the action led to the dismantling of a criminal organization that traded cocaine from South America and beyond.

"The investigation into this criminal network lasted several years and involved a number of EU member states and countries from the Western Balkan region. The drug trafficking network is mainly made up of Montenegrin citizens, but citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Italy and Serbia are also involved. Between 2019 and 2020, law enforcement authorities seized more than six tons of cocaine in Aruba, Côte d'Ivoire, Portugal and Spain. An investigation following the seizure in Portugal revealed possible links between this criminal network and the 'Ndrangheta mafia organization. Same action led to the identification of 17 new suspects, 13 of whom are Montenegrin citizens. During the investigation, 29 suspects were prosecuted in Croatia, Italy, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Serbia, Slovenia and Portugal," the Europol statement said.

On the day of the action, July 27, 2022, police officers across Europe searched 37 locations (one in Croatia, two in Italy, 33 in Montenegro and one in Serbia), arrested 12 suspects (one in Croatia, one in Italy, eight in Montenegro and two in Serbia), the announcement states and points out that expensive watches, bank cards, documents, ammunition and weapons, speedboats and money were seized.

"Europol facilitated the exchange of information and provided continuous analytical support to the investigation. Europol also contributed to the overall coordination of cases between different agencies in the EU and beyond. Based in The Hague, the Netherlands, we support 27 EU member states in the fight against terrorism, cybercrime and other serious and organized forms of crime. We also work with many non-EU countries and international organizations," the statement said.