They are for my son. Petar Kusovac i Goran Vuković They gave him money at interest, beat him, blackmailed him. They threatened him and us. He had an account with them through which he could gamble. They would give him 200 euros to that account at their Lob betting shop, through the account of one of their employees, and then they would show that he had incurred a debt of 300.000 euros overnight. We are already in the name of the betting shop... or rather Dragan Ivanovic They took over an apartment in Petrovac, measuring 150 square meters. On Sunday they came to ask us for half a million euros, threatening to slaughter us like rabbits if we didn't give them the money.
The threat they received on Sunday, May 31st was the final straw, after which the family from the coast decided to report the loan sharks who, as they claim, have been stalking them for a long time.
The Police Directorate told "Vijesti" yesterday that they had shed light on the usury case in cooperation with the prosecutor's office.
This operation, in which Kusovac (33), Vuković (47) and Ivanović (58) were arrested, saved an Ulcinj family from the clutches of loan sharks, who, as is suspected, were owed around two million euros due to an initial debt of 20.000 euros.
According to information from "Vijesti", Ivanovic is the long-time owner of a chain of betting shops.
Kusovac and Vuković were arrested on Sunday in Ulcinj and have already been taken to the pre-trial detention center by a judge's decision, while Ivanovic was deprived of his liberty yesterday, as part of the investigation.
"After a short conversation, Kusovac and Vuković approached us and asked: 'Are you aware that your son owes us 500.000 euros?' We told them that this was the first time we had heard this, that we did not know what he was doing and whether he owed them anything at all. We told them that we did not have that money, that we did not owe them anything and asked why, if they did, they were giving our son money again, when after transferring the apartment in Petrovac to the name of the Lob betting house, they promised that they would no longer allow him to gamble with them... Then Dragan Vuković told us that he knew that we had that money, that he knew that we had apartments, beaches, houses worth millions," one of the parents wrote in a statement.
It is alleged that they explained to the duo how much the apartment registered in the name of their father-in-law Petar Kusovac was worth, and that they were then told that both the principal and interest that their son allegedly owed to Ivanovic had been returned.
"We asked Goran, who works at that bookmaker's, why he let him gamble again, and he said he did it because it was his job... I asked him why they beat my son and told him he wasn't allowed to do that, and he replied: 'I'm allowed to hit him, and I'll beat you too, and I'll collect every penny from you and this won't come out well'. We started to part ways, but Goran pulled out a knife in the hotel parking lot and threatened: 'I'll slaughter you like rabbits. You're just fucked up when the owner of the Lob bookmaker, Dragan Ivanović, hears about it'".
The parents of the Ulcinj man claim that the same team had previously beaten their son, forced him to gamble, and that they had recently given him 60.000 euros, which he later admitted that he had taken to Podgorica, to a betting shop, and handed over to Kusovac and Vuković.
Recounting the threats to the police, they said that Kusovac told them that day: "We came to get the money from you today, and if we don't take it, we know how we will collect it," after which Vuković, they claim, added: "I will wear a skirt if I don't collect it."
The Police Directorate officially responded to "Vijesti" that officers of the Ulcinj and Podgorica Security Departments and the Crime Prevention Sector, in cooperation with the basic state prosecutors' offices in Ulcinj and Podgorica, undertaking intensive and continuous activities to detect, clarify and prove the criminal offense of usury, identified and deprived of liberty three persons suspected of committing the criminal offenses of usury and endangering security, committed to the detriment of several persons.
Previously, the Ulcinj police were reported to have been contacted by Kusovac and Vuković, who had arrived in the city and attempted to extort half a million euros from them through threats.
"Three people from Podgorica were deprived of their liberty: PK (33) and GV (47) on suspicion of committing the criminal offenses of usury and endangering security, and DI (58) on suspicion of committing the criminal offense of usury.
Namely, the officers of the Security Department in Ulcinj acted upon a report from an injured party on suspicion of the criminal offense of usury, by which, as is suspected, the suspects obtained unlawful material gain to the detriment of the injured party in the amount of almost 2.000.000 euros on behalf of the alleged debt - usurious interest, and in cooperation with the Basic State Prosecutor's Office in Ulcinj, they took all necessary measures and actions and collected information from several persons. Further action by the officers of the Security Department in Podgorica, in coordination with the state prosecutor at the Basic State Prosecutor's Office in Podgorica, additional information and evidence were collected, which resulted in the deprivation of liberty of DI and the filing of criminal charges against the aforementioned persons on suspicion of having committed the criminal offense of usury in co-perpetration," the UP said.
The security institution explained that the suspects are suspected of having lent the injured party 20.000 euros at an agreed usurious interest rate:
"After which, through the sports betting system, they further indebted him and forced him to pay them significant and multiple amounts of money, the so-called 'penalties', and by the end of May 2026, they calculated a debt of around 500.000 euros, with threats that they tried to collect from his family. In the meantime, the injured party, under pressure, transferred ownership of an apartment worth around 400.000 euros to one of the suspects, and sold several properties in Podgorica with a total value of around 300.000 euros below the market price and paid around 150.000 euros on behalf of the alleged debt."
The Police Department explains that Vuković and Kusovac were arrested in Ulcinj and that they are also charged with the criminal offense of endangering the safety of the injured party's parents.
"It is suspected that a few days ago, these individuals, using cold weapons, threatened the life and limb of the parents of the injured party near a catering facility in Ulcinj. A high-class vehicle - a 'Mercedes G' - was temporarily seized from the suspects for further expert examination and verification. The investigating judge ordered PK and GV to be detained, and they were taken to the Directorate for the Execution of Criminal Sanctions in Spuž. DI was, by order of the competent prosecutor, deprived of his liberty and will be taken to the Basic State Prosecutor's Office in Podgorica for further proceedings within the legal deadline," the response to "Vijesti" was given.
Report cases to the police
The Police Directorate says that their officers, in coordination with the State Prosecutor's Office, will continue their activities to detect and suppress this complex form of crime:
"As well as the prosecution of all persons involved in the commission of criminal offenses, and they call on injured citizens to report such and similar cases to the competent authorities."
"Vijesti" reported a few days ago that the police are investigating 20 cases of usury, after a specialized team was formed in February to combat usury.
A special police team was formed during a major "News" series about this illegal business, in which dozens of usurer victims talked about how they fell into debt bondage.
Research by "Vijesti" has shown that usury in Montenegro does not affect one specific social group. People of all ages and profiles take money from usurers: out of necessity, because of debts, sometimes because of bad decisions. Almost all of them, however, share the same outcome: debt that does not decrease, property that disappears and fear that remains long after the money is gone. And often tragedy - divorces, suicide attempts, suicides...
In some cases, it all starts as a small loan, and ends with lost houses, stolen ancestral properties, fear in your own home, and the realization that in this "game" you are not a debtor, but a hostage.
See more:
Download the app and follow the news
FOLLOW US ON
