Despite high profile cases, there still a long way to go in the Balkan’s fight on organised crime.
Trials
In September last year, Bosnian courts sentenced 17 members of an organised crime syndicate in what they called the “most-extensive” case of its kind in the region. Notably, this case secured the conviction of three police officers who worked with the organisation.
This success comes on the back of 2015’s trial of Serbian “Cocaine King” Darko Saric by authorities in that country, whose arrest came about due to cooperation with the American Drug Enforcement Agency to counter the transatlantic drugs trade. In 2013, Sarajevo courts convicted Zijad Turkovic of leading an organised drug trafficking ring that also took part in murder, armed robberies and extortion on a large scale. In 2012 Croatia, Bosnia and Serbia also launched a joint operation aimed at curbing the extensive smuggling of goods and people in the region in 2012, a welcome sign of broadening international cooperation.
Given these successes, on the back of the jailing of the most extensive and connected organised crime syndicates of the 1990s, it would seem that the region is turning the corner in regards to its fight on criminal networks.
Reality
However recent US, UK and EU government reports show that there is still a long way to go in dealing with the impact of organised crime. The most recent State Department report for Bosnia notes that corruption is “among the country’s most serious problems” and that there are “continued reports of corruption” among the police and security services, and that while the government has procedures in place to investigate these allegations, “political pressure often prevented the application of these mechanisms.” Senator Roger Wicker has also aired concerns regarding corruption in “vital institutions” and “among high level political officials.”
The Foreign Office’s own advice to businesses notes that “final convictions remain low” and specifically notes problems with regards to financial investigation and detecting money laundering, which are key tools in countering organised crime.
Meanwhile the EU, in its 2015 report on Albania for the EU Enlargement Committee stated that “the police remain vulnerable to political pressure and corruption…Prosecutors dealing with sensitive cases related to organised crime should be granted special protection and ensured independence”.
These reports, unfortunately, appear to have some merit to them. Saric’s sentence for cocaine has been annulled, in circumstances that are reminiscent of how his previous trial for money laundering proceeded, with the trial being restarted twice and the judge replaced once, in a manner that suggested a political motive. Meanwhile, Zijad Turkovic has yet to be remanded to prison.
Evolution
Even more concerning, while the violence of the Balkan organised crime groups has noticeably diminished, the formerly ethnic-based groups are being replaced by groups which are more cosmopolitan with regard to other syndicates in the region, and also willing to cooperate with other groups overseas, notably the Italian ‘Ndrangheta, who themselves have a global presence.
This is further complicated by the increasingly authoritarian style that seems to be emerging in politics in the region, which in addition to the traditional links between political leadership and organised crime gives politicians little incentive to improve the situation. Without significant outside political pressure and assistance, the organised crime situation in the region will continue to be endemic for the foreseeable future.
Marc Simms is an occasional blogger for Proelium Law LLP. Marc holds a MLitt in Terrorism Studies and a Masters in International Relations, both from St Andrews. His particular interests are in emerging international security issues, unconventional warfare and terrorism.
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