Citation(s) from the GunPolicy.org literature library
Serbia. 2007 ‘Investigation into Criminal Activities.’ National Report of Serbia on its Implementation of the United Nations Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects (UNPoA), p. 2. New York, NY: Permanent Mission of Serbia to the United Nations. 1 November
Relevant contents
Investigation into Criminal Activities
In the course of 2007, police uncovered an organized crime group of nine dealing in illegal arms, explosives and materiel of the Army of Serbia as well as trafficking in narcotic drugs. This criminal group is using well established criminal conduits for these purposes going through the Republic of Serbia and its province of Kosovo and Metohija (Belgrade - Smederevska Palanka - Vranje - Kosovo and Metohija). Members of this criminal group all had assigned roles in stealing arms, explosives and some of the military assets from the installations around Smederevska Palanka and in transporting them to sites intended for storing such weapons before selling them to end users, who were Albanians.
Criminal complaints were filed against nine suspects. Eight of them were arrested and brought before the competent investigating judge. In making these arrests, police officers found and confiscated from suspects belonging to this criminal group the following items:
- one hunting rifle with optical sight;
- four pistols;
- four explosive detonators;
- 184 rounds of various calibre ammunition for both pistols and rifles;
- 250 grammes of explosives;
- 4 passive night vision sights and 216 grammes of various narcotics (54 grammes of heroin, l2 grammes of speed, 160 grammes of marijuana);
- 83 silencers for various calibre weapons;
- 2 optical vision sights;
- one digital electronic scales for measuring narcotic drugs.
In 2007, officers of the Anti-Organized Crime Service (SBPOK) carried out searches of properties around Centa, near Zrenjanin, in which they uncovered and temporarily confiscated from a suspect, larger quantities of weapons that had been brought from the battlefield for the purpose of selling them afterwards. The police seized on that occasion:
-7 automatic rilles, 7.62mm calibre;
-2 M48. 7.9mm military rifles;
-2 hunting, 7.9mm carabines;
-19 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition for rifles.