The "De andros" hotel in Virpazar, three business premises in Bar, two of which are 496 square meters and one is 168 square meters, two family buildings, a garage, a yard and barren land in Podgorica, as well as several business premises in the capital, have been temporarily seized from the owner of the "Tehnomax" company. Vesko Petranović.
The decision was made by the investigating judge of the Higher Court in Podgorica. Goran Scepanovic, accepting the proposal of the Special State Prosecutor's Office (SDT) - to temporarily seize the property of those suspected of creating a criminal organization and cigarette smuggling.
According to the court ruling, which "Vijesti" had access to, the property, except for Petranović's, has been blocked and To Dejan Jokic, Dušan Vukadinović, Dražen Vukadinović, To Jovan Miletic called Beak, Branko Ćelić, Ratomir Obrenic, Davor Lukačević, Marko Đurišić.
Special prosecutors suspect Petranović of creating a criminal organization whose members included Jokić, the two Vukadinovićs, Miletić, Ćelić, Obrenić, Lukačević, Đurišić, who smuggled cigarettes.
The list of Petranović's assets, which has been blocked, includes, in addition to numerous properties in Bar and Podgorica, pastures and barren land in Budva, several luxury four-wheelers...
Petranović owns the land in Budva in co-ownership with Jokić, the decision states...
The prosecution also placed a blockade on a residential, two non-residential and two parking spaces that are registered on Milijana Petranović.
A residential space in Podgorica, measuring 448 square meters, was also taken from her.
A 36-square-meter apartment owned by a man has been temporarily blocked in Virpazar. Vesna Vukadinovic, and in Podgorica, the burden of the ban was registered on a residential and commercial building with a basic area of 318 square meters, then two auxiliary buildings of 179 and 90 square meters, and a pasture of 2.656 square meters in Donji Kokoti, which is owned by Dušan Vukadinović.
A pasture measuring 756 square meters, two meadows totaling 2.489 square meters, a two-bedroom apartment in Podgorica, and two construction plots totaling 6.493 square meters in Budva, registered to the company "Urus M", whose founder is Đorđe Mrdak, and Vukadinović is the executive director, were also seized from this Podgorica resident. A construction plot measuring 4.551 square meters, another 482 square meters of barren land, were temporarily seized from the same company in Budva...
Dušan's brother Dražen Vukadinović had his 63-square-meter apartment in Podgorica temporarily confiscated, and two family residential buildings, which are 85 and 93 square meters in size, were also seized, as well as a 500-square-meter yard and a 78-square-meter barren land, which are registered on the land registry. Dragoljub Vukadinović.
Dragoljub Vukadinović's apartment in Podgorica, measuring 115 square meters, and a garage space measuring 13 square meters were also blocked.
The prosecution requested, and the court approved, a deed to a meadow measuring 473 square meters, a yard measuring 500 square meters, and fields totaling 5.604 square meters in Bijelo Polje, which are registered in the name of Radomir Lukačević.
Branko Ćelić's apartment in Podgorica, measuring 72 square meters and a garage measuring 13 square meters, were seized.
In the capital, in the Donja Gorica settlement, a plot of land measuring 675 square meters, a family residential building measuring 116 square meters in size and a field measuring 230 square meters, which are registered on the land registry, were seized. Biljana Obrenic.
In Nikšić, a 28-square-meter apartment and a three-square-meter non-residential space have been blocked, which are registered on the Rajan Miletic.
Three Mercedes cars were seized from Petranović - a GLS 400, a GLC 350 and a GLC 400. A Škoda Superb BY was seized from Ratomir Obrenić, a Škoda Octavia from Davor Lukačević, and a BMW 118D from Marko Đurišić.
The court ordered the temporary seizure of 30.451 euros, found during a search of the defendant Obrenić's house.
"The temporary security measure and temporary seizure of property may last no longer than until the decision on the permanent seizure of property acquired through crime becomes final. The temporary measure and temporary seizure of movable property shall be lifted ex officio if, within two years from the date of the decision on the determination of the temporary security measure and temporary seizure of movable property, the indictment does not enter into legal force," the decision states.
The court refused to order a temporary measure for several properties owned by Obrenić and his family members, but also to block the accounts of Petranović, his wife and their children, then the accounts of Dušan and Dražen Vukadinović and their father, the accounts of Branko Ćelić, Ratomir Obrenić and his wife, and also Jovan Miletić, his wife and father...
Arrest
Petranović was arrested on March 25th at Podgorica Airport, upon his arrival in Montenegro.
By order of the state prosecutor assigned to the SDT Sinisa Milić, officers of the Special Police Department that day, in addition to Vesko Petranović, arrested six other people, who are believed to have played an important role in organizing smuggling routes.
As in previous investigations into cigarette smuggling, the SPO arrested colleagues from the Police Directorate system that day - at the special police unit camp in Zlatica, members of the Special Police Unit, Dražen Vukadinović and Davor Lukačević, were handcuffed, and inspector of the Podgorica Police Department's Search Service, Marko Đurišić, was also arrested.
Dejan Jokić, who was also detained in February last year on the orders of the SDT, was also arrested in this case, on suspicion of being part of a criminal organization, which was believed to have been formed by a businessman. Aleksandar Aco Mijajlović.
On the same day, Branko Čelić and Ratomir Obrenić, from Podgorica, were arrested, suspected of having played a role in cigarette smuggling from the Port of Bar, via Montenegro to EU countries.
The SPO is searching for several more people in this case, one of whom is the brother of police officer Vukadinović, Dušan Vukadinović.
During the investigation into that case, the SDT and SPO came to a reasonable suspicion that the accused members of Petranović's criminal organization managed to organize numerous cigarette smuggling routes, the value of which is estimated at several tens of millions of euros.
SDT claims that the owner of the company "Tehnomax" Vesko Petranović was involved in providing logistics for the transport of cigarettes, which were taken from the warehouse of the Free Zone of the Port of Bar through smuggling channels.
At the end of 2024, his business associate was arrested on the orders of the SDT. Saša Pekić, who was previously a co-owner of the company "Tehnomax".
Police officers were also arrested with Pekić at that time. Predrag Vučurović, Dragan Backovic i Predrag Mijušković, a businessman Srdjan Jokic, from Podgorica Goran Janketić i Nikola Glomazic from Plužine, and after ten days the brothers from Plužine also surrendered. Marko i Petar Cicmil.
On June 26, the Special State Prosecutor's Office (SDT) filed an indictment against criminal organizations that, according to their claims, were formed by Pekić and the Cicmil brothers, and which allegedly caused damage to the state by at least 17,5 million euros through cigarette smuggling.
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