Bečić: Full support to Director Šćepanović and the Police Directorate team in the fight against organized crime

I express my full support to the Director of the Police Directorate, Lazar Šćepanović, and his team for their determined, professional, and courageous fight against organized crime and the heavy legacy of the past—one that continues to be accompanied by persistent hybrid attempts to undermine the process, driven by fear of justice and the ongoing cleansing of institutions from unlawful influence.

Security challenges, driven by the strategic orientation of high-risk criminal groups toward mutual confrontations, remain persistent and have been highlighted repeatedly. In addition to this, ineffective judicial proceedings, procedural abuses, and other systemic shortcomings have often contributed to periodic escalations in the security situation. The root cause, however, lies in the entrenched legacy of the past. These drug cartels were formed and amassed significant financial power during the era of the former regime, when parts of the state apparatus were effectively turned into their outposts. Over time, they evolved into transnational threats, even for far larger and stronger states and systems than Montenegro, as evidenced by assassinations in the world’s most developed countries—including the most recent murder in the heart of Barcelona just days ago. Simply put, crime knows no borders, religions, or nations. What was built and reinforced over decades cannot be fully dismantled overnight. Still, the number of operations carried out, arrests made, and indictments filed—many of them involving individuals long perceived as untouchable—along with the vetting process currently underway, clearly demonstrate that no one is above the law. Justice will prevail, and the state will never again serve the interests of the mafia.

It is appalling to even address the level of hypocrisy shown by those who now attempt to exploit every tragedy or criminal incident for cheap political gain—despite the fact that the cartels in question were created, empowered, and essentially ran the state under their rule. Numerous prosecutorial and judicial proceedings confirm this, as do the stark figures: over 700 murders, with nearly 100 in just one recent mandate—half of which stemmed from mafia-style executions, often claiming innocent lives as well. We now hear lectures from those for whom the criminal base operating within Montenegro was apparently not “big enough—so much so that they lifted entry bans for regional butchers like Belivuk and Miljković, claiming they were friends of our country, while, accoding to competent authorities, these individuals were committing the most monstrous crimes. Not to mention others whose time in power was marked by security sector scandals rarely seen before-individuals whose every claim and attack against the work of this Government has proven to be false, and whose level of personal frustration is truly unprecedented.

The true nature of the system we once lived under—and the role played by the security sector—is best illustrated by the shocking fact that national ID cards and firearm licenses were issued by the Montenegrin state to the leaders of the "Zemun" and "Surčin" clans. For example:

Dušan Spasojević had registered residence in Podgorica and was issued a Montenegrin ID card in late January 1998, followed days later by firearms license no. 00037 for a Pietro Beretta pistol.

Ljubiša Buha had registered residence in Podgorica and received both an ID and firearms license no. 356 in December 1997.

Mile Luković had registered residence in Mojkovac from 1997 and was likewise issued a Montenegrin ID card.

Attached are photographs that serve as a testament to a time that must never be repeated. Not only were firearms licenses issued to figures from the criminal underworld, but—as confirmed by judicial proceedings—many were placed in key positions within the security sector. Today, several high-ranking officials from the former regime are facing convictions or indictments for serious criminal offenses.