A total of 285 Montenegrin citizens are on active international, so-called Interpol red notices, and they are most often issued for drug smuggling, creating a criminal organization, and aggravated theft.
These are the data provided by the Police Directorate to Vijesti.
That institution also responded that the longest active arrest warrant issued by NCB Interpol Podgorica was issued in 2007 for Komnenus Čpajko, who is being sought to serve a 30-year prison sentence for the criminal offense of aggravated murder.
They confirmed that at this moment there are active arrest warrants for former members of the security or police structures of Montenegro who are linked to organized crime, but without specifying the number or type of criminal offenses.
Speaking about the number of people located and arrested on warrants issued from Montenegro, the police stated that during 2024, 33 people were deprived of their liberty, while in 2025, ending on December 15, 53 people were arrested.
They also said that other Interpol notices related to cases from Montenegro are currently active - namely 144 blue and 33 yellow warrants.
Responding to questions about organized crime, the Police Directorate said that there are currently 62 active international arrest warrants for persons linked to organized crime groups from Montenegro, and that a special statistical review of cases related to that area is being maintained within the NCB Interpol Podgorica.
They also stated that there are arrest warrants for high-ranking members of organized crime structures that have been active for more than five years, 10 of them, who are wanted for criminal offenses - creation of a criminal organization, illegal possession of weapons and explosives, and aggravated murder.
When it comes to the countries from which confirmations of the location or arrest of Montenegrin citizens with warrants most often arrive, the police stated that they most often come from the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Austria and the Republic of Serbia. Regarding persons associated with Balkan criminal groups, the Police Directorate stated that the location is most often reported by the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Austria.
When asked whether there are cases in which international arrest warrants have been withdrawn due to procedural reasons, errors or inconsistency with Interpol rules, the Police Department said that the withdrawal of international arrest warrants issued by Montenegro is carried out when the competent court revokes the order due to the statute of limitations on the prison sentence or the person being found on the territory of Montenegro.
"In the past three years, there has been one case where the Interpol General Secretariat did not publish our international arrest warrant, and this involved criminal proceedings against IM, a citizen of Montenegro, who is suspected of the criminal offense of desecration of a grave, which, according to Article 97(2) and Article 99(2), is not within the standard for processing criminal offenses according to Interpol standards, and for the reasons stated, the Interpol General Secretariat has decided that the arrest warrant in question cannot be published. The Ministry of Justice has been informed of all of the above," they said.
The Police Directorate said that in the past two years, there have been cases recorded in which countries in the region refused to arrest or extradite persons on Interpol's wanted lists from Montenegro, but they did not specify which countries were involved, nor how many such cases were recorded.
They also stated that in the last three years, Montenegro has sent 68 requests for diffusions (operational police information that is exchanged internationally to locate and track suspects, but does not constitute an arrest warrant) in organized crime cases. When asked whether Interpol has operational information on the use of forged identities and travel documents by fugitives associated with Montenegrin criminal groups, the answer was short that they “are in possession of such information”, without further explanation.
When it comes to the use of so-called "targeted fugitive search teams" (FAST) - specialized teams within Interpol that deal with targeted operational searches for internationally wanted fugitives, the police explained that they are activated in cases that are assessed as priority. Such cases, as they stated, most often relate to persons associated with serious crimes or organized crime.
The Police Directorate stated that the FAST team of Montenegro has criteria based on which it makes a decision that a person becomes the subject of a targeted search, both in Montenegro and abroad, noting that the same practice is applied by other FAST teams, without specifying specific cases.
When asked whether there has been a recent trend of changing the countries in which members of these criminal structures most often hide, the Police Directorate responded that they have not noticed such a trend.
Differences between red, blue and yellow warrants
A red warrant is issued to locate and temporarily arrest a person wanted for criminal prosecution, extradition, or serving a prison sentence.
A blue warrant is used to gather information about the identity, location, or activities of a person, without an arrest warrant.
A yellow warrant refers to the search for missing persons, most often minors or persons who are unable to identify themselves.
How a warrant becomes public
Interpol's arrest warrants are not automatically public, but are published only at the request of the issuing state and after Interpol has assessed that they are justified and in accordance with its rules.
Arrest warrants for the most serious crimes are generally available to the public, when it is assessed that publication may help locate suspects or that they pose a security risk, while others are available exclusively to the police forces of the member states.
Montenegro is currently publicly seeking eight people through Interpol, including Vuk Lalatović, suspected of the murder of Petar Lipovina and Žarko Pejaković, Nikola Drecun, accused of the aggravated murder of Dragan Roganović and Petar Kaluđerović, as well as the leader of the Kavač clan, Radoje Zvicer, who is wanted by Montenegro and Austria for several serious crimes, including organized crime, murder and drug trafficking.
The list of publicly wanted persons also includes Nenad Kaluđerović, suspected of creating a criminal organization and aggravated murder in co-perpetration, Aleksandar Mrkić for smuggling, money laundering and organized crime, Satko Adrović for aggravated assault and robbery, Božidar Samardžić for attempted murder resulting in death, as well as Čpajak, convicted in absentia for a double murder in Budva.
Bonus video:
