An official of the Border Police was arrested Dragan Backovic he gave confidential information to members of the criminal organization he allegedly formed Aleksandar Aco Mijajlović, warned them when his colleagues were planning actions, smuggled cigarettes with them, but also transferred "dirty" money across the border...
This is written in the files of the Special State Prosecutor's Office (SDT), in whose operation at the beginning of last week 11 alleged members of two criminal groups were arrested who, according to the prosecutors, were smuggling cigarettes...
According to SDT claims, Mijajlović is one of the organizers of the so-called Grand Clan. Special prosecutors suspect him of creating a criminal organization that smuggled cigarettes with another person, whose identification they are working on.
Prosecutors suspect Backović of transmitting confidential information to the suspect via an encrypted application Golub Vojinović, that is, informed him of the actions taken by police officers:
"Allowing him to use the data and information obtained in this way to direct his actions and to hide the various kinds of non-customs cigarettes, which the suspect Golub Vojinović hid on a truck trailer, at an unspecified location on the territory of Podgorica," the files say.
According to the transcripts provided to the Montenegrin investigators by Europol, Backović was in charge of ensuring the smooth passage of smuggled cigarettes, but also of transporting them across the state border, handing them over to other members of the clan and selling them...
"Brother, there is an action organized by PG, there are 10 detained, some were taken to PG, if I knew his name I would check where he is, it is not of a local nature, so I don't know what it is about... How many goods are there", he wrote police officer on February 10, 2021, to Vojinović.
The suspect replied that he had a lot, and then they made a plan to get the cigarettes.
"It's been sitting on the trailer... for a long time... It can't be sold... Pulled out from underneath and left... 500 ... 600 for sure. Let me see where they go. it's not going so they just have to drag it somewhere... Close to there, where we turn to the intersection", Golubović answers him.
The special prosecutors state that the two of them continue the agreement to remove the trailer with cigarettes, but also that it is necessary to reload them into other trucks.
After a certain time, Vojinović informs the border police commander at the time that the team transshipping cigarettes will finish soon and asks him "to escort them to Kočani".
"They finish in half an hour from the opportunity. Can you escort them somewhere to Kočan to park it".
The policeman agrees, and explains that he will do it when he picks up his daughter from school, and asks Vojinović to tell him where he should go.
"At Castel's when you can", he gets the answer.
Backović tells him how much time he needs to reach the agreed position, and then tells him when he has arrived.
"Brother, I sent everyone away, everything is ok," the policeman sent to Vojinović soon after.
"The stated facts clearly point to the conclusion of the well-founded suspicion that the suspect Golub Vojinović hid the cigarettes in an unspecified location in Podgorica, and that later, in order to avoid being found by police officers, he connected them to Nikšić, with the help of the suspect Backović and other, so far unidentified persons", it is written in the decision by which the investigating judge of the High Court in Podgorica ordered the detention of the suspects...
Brought in dirty money
In the court and prosecutor's files, they explain that Vojinović and Backović transferred money obtained by smuggling cigarettes across the border.
Analyzing the communication of members of that clan, conducted through a once-protected application, special prosecutors determined that Vojinović went to Trebinje for money, and then, without reporting, brought it into Montenegro.
Investigators believe that he also used his position as an officer of the Police Department for that illegal job.
Among the multitude of transcripts submitted by the European Union Law Enforcement Agency (EUROPOL) are those exchanged between Backović, Vojinović and the person delivering the money to them in Trebinje.
According to the agreement with Vojinović, the policeman would go to a restaurant in Trebinje, where an unidentified member of the criminal organization would bring him money.
That person called Backović "boss"...
It follows from their communication that Backović transferred EUR 12 on February 2020, 86.300, and EUR 5 on March 2021, 114.000.
Apart from Backović and Vojinović, the members of Mijajlović's criminal team were identified by the SDT as police officers Milenko Mića Rabrenović, Radoje Rabrenović i Mirko Mijušković, then Dejan Jokić, Zoran Žuto Đukanović and several persons whose identification the prosecutors are working on.
The members of that criminal team were arrested almost at the same time as the one that, according to the prosecutors, was formed by a man from Nikšić. Milan Rogač.
SDT labeled his fellow citizens as members of that crime team Milan Vukadinović i Mile Simanić. Allegedly, that criminal group did not cooperate with the team from the so-called Grand Clan in the illegal cigarette smuggling business.
"Vijesti" was told by the High Court that detention was ordered for all those arrested due to the existence of reasonable suspicion that they had committed criminal acts, and as a basis the judge accepted the risk of escape...
Judge Suzana Mugoša she clarified that all 11 are suspected of creating a criminal organization and the extended criminal offense of smuggling.
According to court documents, Backović is also charged with money laundering, abuse of official position in conjunction with the criminal offense of smuggling...
All those arrested denied the criminal offenses charged by special prosecutors.
To the border with Bosnia, then past the border crossings
During a months-long investigation by the SDT, the Special Police Department, and in cooperation with Europol, the investigators discovered how the cross-border smuggling of cigarettes worked.
According to their files, the official of the border police transported cigarettes to the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, where he handed them over to other members of the crime team...
"From the content of the communications, it is clearly concluded that the marked users exchanged a large number of messages through the cryptocommunication platform SKY Ecc, from the content of which there is a well-founded suspicion that they were transporting cigarettes across the customs line, and that they were engaged in the sale, distribution and concealment of non-customs goods that are in concealed this purpose in Podgorica and Nikšić, in facilities at now unidentified, hidden locations... From these communications, it can be concluded that the suspect Dragan Backović, together with Golub Vojinović, transported cigarettes through the customs line and sold them to a now unidentified member of a criminal organization." , it says in court records.
The method of smuggling was also clarified - Backović took cigarettes from Vojinović, and then transported them to the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina and sold them to an unidentified member of the team, who, bypassing the official border crossings, brought the smuggled tobacco products into BiH.
8 people were arrested on February 19 and 20 on suspicion of being members of a criminal group that smuggled cigarettes internationally. Special prosecutors claim that the crime team was formed by Aleksandar Mijajlović from Podgorica and another, as yet unidentified person.
Foxes ready for a few more clan members?
Special prosecutors and members of the Special Police Department are working on the identification of the second organizer of the alleged Grand Clan, and they are looking for several more members of that criminal group, in order to handcuff them in the coming days, they told "Vijesta".
According to the same information, their primary goal is the identification of the person who, together with Mijajlovic, created that crime team - in order to realize the criminal plan to deal with the transfer and sale of cigarettes, i.e., the export of tobacco products through the customs line while avoiding the measures of customs supervision.
"...And by selling, dispersing or concealing duty-free goods - cigarettes".
Mijajlovic and another organizer are accused of recruiting the accused and other unidentified persons as members of the criminal organization, assigning them roles and tasks...
"...And directly or through other members of the criminal organization, they gave instructions and instructions to the members of the criminal organization, for the purpose of committing criminal acts, for which the criminal organization was organized, in order to obtain illegal property benefits for themselves and the criminal organization...".
In the prosecutor's files, it is written that Mijajlović and that person procured cigarettes from abroad, organized their delivery to Montenegro, storage and transfer through the customs line:
"While avoiding the measure of customs control"...
According to the prosecutors, Mijajlovic determined the price of cigarettes, the method and terms of payment, and they suspect him of selling cigarettes himself...
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