The arrest of Vuk Vulević in Belgrade, on the basis of a red international arrest warrant issued by Montenegro, represents yet another confirmation that the era of the untouchables is over, announced Minister of Interior Danilo Šaranović today.
Fugitive Beranec Vuk Vulević was arrested yesterday in Belgrade, the director of the Police Directorate (UP) Lazar Šćepanović officially confirmed to "Vijesti" last night.
"Vulević was being sought as part of the international case 'General', one of the most complex international operations aimed at dismantling a criminal organization suspected of smuggling more than 2,5 tons of cocaine from South America to Europe and Australia," Šaranović said in a statement.
He added that, however, Vulević was not just one of the most wanted fugitives.
"For years, he was considered one of the key figures of organized crime in northern Montenegro and a symbol of a time in which individuals from the criminal milieu had greater influence than state institutions. That is why I spoke about him in the Parliament in November last year. I spoke about a man who had so much power to influence the selection of leaders of the Berane police, determine the movement of police patrols and enable the smooth functioning of cigarette smuggling routes. I spoke about a time in which individual police officers, instead of protecting the state, were put in the function of protecting people from the criminal milieu. That was not the strength of one man, that was the weakness of the state that individuals consciously maintained for years," said Šaranović.
He said that today the picture is completely different.
"A man who for years represented one of the symbols of organized crime in northern Montenegro is today deprived of his liberty on a Montenegrin warrant. Those who once believed they could manage institutions are now accountable to the institutions. It is precisely in this difference that the power of change that the country has gone through is best seen and confirms that the reform processes we are implementing in the security sector are not just declarative, but are bringing concrete and measurable results," said Šaranović.
He said that this arrest is the result of professional and coordinated work of the Police Directorate of Montenegro and the Police Directorate of the Republic of Serbia.
"I express my gratitude to all officers who have shown through their work that the persistent fight against organized crime yields results. We continue to bring to justice all those who believed they could be above the law, regardless of their name, influence or where they are hiding," Šaranović said in a statement.
See more:
Download the app and follow the news
FOLLOW US ON
