It's usually lively at the Sukobin - Murićani border crossing on the eve of the weekend - a column of cars from both directions, pedestrians hurriedly crossing the border, drivers paying for insurance at the counter, police officers checking cars and passengers... The hustle and bustle is not disturbed by the occasional barking of service dogs from nearby cages...
On Friday morning, there was a 30-40 minute wait in a picturesque area at the shared border crossing with Albania.
While in the office of the border crossing commander Svetislav Filipović and his deputy and senior police inspector for border checks Alen Dervišević We are commenting on the review of the results of the first half of the year, through the window we can see how police officers with a service dog search a car with Kosovo plates and its passengers. A purebred Malinois nervously circles around the car, then sniffs the interior and tires, the trunk...
When asked by a "Vijesti" reporter what the dog's name was, Filipović replied: "Astra, a narcotics expert."
"She was named after our previous dog, also a Malinois, who died," says Dervišević.
I remembered one of the earlier stories from the crossing - Croatian police and customs officers did not search the buses at Debeli Brijeg if their colleagues from Sukobine confirmed that the Astra was on a mission...
At that moment, a police officer from the search entered the office carrying a tobacco pouch containing a pack of marijuana.
"There, she found it," Filipović says happily, as if he didn't expect anything else.
And while I continue to watch her through the window as she now happily circles around the guide Rifat Ramusović, I think that because of the new Astra, like the one before it, many will avoid that crossing...
It was a smaller quantity, so, Filipović explains, the perpetrator will be held liable for a misdemeanor.
Epilogue - The court for minor offences fined the German citizen 200 euros, and the inspector for foreigners sanctioned him with expulsion from the country.
Since the beginning of the year, 25 grams of marijuana and almost 230 grams of hashish have been seized at the border in 32 separate cases.
In the same period, during border controls, 356 people were caught committing a violation.
"In most cases, it is a violation of the Law on Foreigners - illegal or unregistered stay, and somewhat less often, violations under the Law on Border Control," explains Dervišević.
Of that number, 312 persons were sanctioned by issuing a misdemeanor warrant on the spot, while the inspector for foreigners processed 44 persons.
Since the beginning of the year, seven people have been found and arrested on Interpol warrants, and 12 motor vehicles have been discovered and temporarily seized. Also, 13 documents have been found and temporarily seized on the basis of Interpol warrants.
When it comes to national arrest warrants, 16 people and two motor vehicles were found and handed over to the authority that issued the warrant.
At the same time, entry into Montenegro was not approved for 54 persons, and exit from the country was not approved for 50 of them. Controls were also carried out on 74 persons who are kept in operational records.
In the first six months, more than 1,5 million passengers were registered at the crossing, of which 771 thousand were entering and 743 thousand were leaving the country, and 450 thousand vehicles were registered, according to a review of work at the crossing from the beginning of the year to July 1.
Compared to the same period in 2024, an increase of almost 6 percent in passengers and more than 7 percent in motor vehicles was registered.
From the parameters shown, as stated in the document, it can be concluded that the number of crossings at the entrance and exit from the country is almost equal.
"If we analyze state border crossings during weekdays, we come to the conclusion that the number of crossings increases by a few thousand during the weekend, when we record a traffic of around 15 thousand passengers. Then we have weekend tourists who come on Fridays and return on Sundays, so the traffic frequency is increased then. On weekdays, between 11.000 and 13.000 people cross the border daily," says Filipović.
In the first ten days of July, the border recorded traffic of 142 thousand passengers and 36 thousand vehicles, which is at the level of last year in the same period.
"When it comes to the structure of citizens who most often cross the border, it is predominantly citizens of Albania and Kosovo who come to our coast. As well as citizens of Albania and Kosovo who work in various European countries and during this period come to their home countries for vacations, and use ours as a transit country," says Filipović.
He also points out that in conditions of increased traffic frequency, the results of work are not lacking.
"On the contrary, with a quality service setup and good organization, even in these conditions, the officers of this station achieve exceptional results."
Passengers at the border in July, same as last year, fewer guests in Ulcinj
Although the Sukobin - Murićani border crossing recorded the same number of passengers in July compared to last year, Ulcinj officially has slightly fewer guests than last year. According to the latest data from the Tourist Organization (TO), 19,1 thousand tourists are currently staying in the city.
Director of the Tourist Office Ćazim Hodžić said that the slight decline in guests at the beginning of July is also characteristic of other destinations across the country and the region.
"It is important to point out that the current challenges are not only present in our country, but also in many other destinations in the region and beyond. We regularly monitor the situation on the ground, and according to the data we have, the month of June was good compared to last year when it comes to the number of registered guests, which has further encouraged us ahead of the peak season. However, in these first days of July, we are recording a slight drop in the number of guests, which is a situation that other destinations in the region are also facing. However, according to our statistics, the drop is not as drastic as it is sometimes presented in public," Hodžić told Vijesti.
He stated that he is optimistic about the coming period.
"We believe that the main part of the season, especially in July and August, will bring better occupancy and that the positive effects of our promotion will be felt in the coming weeks and that we can expect a better intensity of visits. We continue to make maximum efforts to ensure that Ulcinj remains recognized as a quality, authentic and affordable destination on the Montenegrin coast."
Simplified control in summer due to crowds
In order to ensure faster traffic and more efficient work, as well as shorter delays at the crossing, in accordance with the decision and instructions of the Police Directorate, during the summer season, simplified border control is being implemented, which implies a deviation from the detailed control regime.
"In these situations, police officers selectively and based on assessment enter data into electronic records, while the validity of travel documents is checked for all persons. Detentions at the border crossing are approximately between 30 and 40 minutes," Dervišević explains the work system in the summer months and highlights the correct cooperation with colleagues from Albania at the common border crossing between the two countries.
Bonus video:
