Vladan radoman obtained 2020 packages of cocaine, each weighing one kilogram, in Brazil at the beginning of 510. The drugs were packed in 23 black, waterproof bags, equipped with lights and ropes, prepared to be thrown into the sea in case of control or danger. Montenegrin sailors were involved in the operation, among them Mladen Radulović and a sailor marked with the initials MB, who brought the bags in and hid them in the ship's hold of the Montenegrin tanker "Budva".
These are the details from the indictment of the Special State Prosecutor's Office (SDT), which was confirmed by the panel of the Higher Court in Podgorica.
In addition to Radoman, this prosecutorial act also includes Ognjen Ilić, Marko Radonjic, Boban Sjeloća i Vuk Mićić Miranović.
All are charged with creating a criminal organization and international cocaine smuggling, while Ilić is additionally charged with illegal possession of weapons.
The Special Prosecutor's Office claims that Radoman formed a criminal group in early 2020 with the aim of organizing the smuggling of cocaine from South America to Europe, with strict rules of discipline and division of tasks.
Radoman's role was to procure drugs and coordinate transport. According to the indictment, he obtained cocaine through his contacts in Brazil and handed it over to the crew members of the ship "Budva".
The drugs were delivered in February 2020 in the Brazilian port of Paranagua and then hidden in the ship's premises. Communication between the group members took place via satellite phones and protected applications, while Radoman's orders were binding on both members in Montenegro and abroad.
Travel and seizure in Hamburg
After a brief stop in another Brazilian port, the ship “Budva” set sail for Europe. On May 2, 2020, it arrived in Hamburg. During the inspection of the ship, German customs officers and police found 509 packages of cocaine weighing more than half a ton. According to the indictment, one bag was lost or thrown into the sea, while the others were neatly stacked and hidden in the ship’s holds.
German authorities immediately notified the Montenegrin authorities, after which the Special Prosecutor's Office opened an investigation and initiated international legal assistance.
The prosecution states that each member had a precisely defined role.
Vladan Radoman led the entire operation, organized the procurement and transport of cocaine from Brazil, gave instructions and provided contacts abroad.
Mladen Radulović and MB, as members of the ship's crew, physically took over and hid the bags of cocaine.
Ognjen Ilić and Vuk Mićić Miranović, from Montenegro, coordinated communication, recruited new seafarers, and maintained contact between Radoman and other members.
Marko Radonjić and Boban Sjekloća were in charge of receiving goods in European ports and further distribution.
The indictment specifies that the group also had financial resources to cover the costs of transportation, communication, and support the families of its members in the event of arrest.
Weapons found in Kotor
In addition to smuggling, Ognjen Ilić is also charged with illegal possession of weapons. In late December 2024, during a search of his apartment in Kotor, police found a 10 mm pistol and ammunition without a permit. The prosecution included this evidence in a separate part of the indictment.
According to the investigation, Radoman and Sjekloća are on the run and arrest warrants have been issued for them. Ilić, Radulović, Radonjić and Mićić Miranović are in custody in Montenegro.
Ship "arrested" even before German waters
One of the European portals that follows developments in the maritime and offshore industry, as Vijesti wrote, had previously announced that the bulk carrier "Budva" had practically been "arrested" even before entering German waters.
The text states that the operation to track and seize this illegal cargo on a Montenegrin merchant ship lasted several days.
German investigative authorities allegedly searched “Budva” based on information they received “from foreign authorities”.
The ship was on its way from the port of Casablanca in Morocco to Hamburg, and according to German media, the "Budva" was intercepted by the Dutch maritime police while it was passing through Dutch territorial waters and escorted to German waters, where it was handed over to the German authorities for surveillance.
GPS transmitter
A search of the ship in Hamburg found a total of 500 kilograms of cocaine packed in waterproof bags in one of the parts of the cargo space, hidden behind a partition that has a metal cover secured with a dozen large screws.
There were also ropes, buoys and a GPS transmitter, so the police concluded that the drugs were not supposed to arrive in Hamburg at all, but rather should have been thrown from the ship into the sea during its passage past the Dutch and German coasts.
The smugglers' associates from the ship would pick her up from the sea, having found her based on the signal emitted by the GPS transmitter, in small, fast boats under cover of darkness.
Police interception and surveillance of the ship as it entered Dutch waters, however, thwarted the smugglers' plans and the "Budva" ended up in Hamburg with its illegal cargo of cocaine unloaded, where the police searched the ship and found the drugs...
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