Backa Palanka: 20 kilos of cocaine seized, drugs smuggled by boat across Danube
Officers of the Interior Ministry's Anti-Drug Service prevented the smuggling of 20 kilograms of cocaine, with the market value estimated at around 1 million euros.
- Interior Ministry officers seized about 20 kilograms of cocaine near Backa Palanka.
- The market value of the seized drugs is estimated at around 1 million euros.
- The drugs were transported by motor boat across the Danube, with the package found near the Celarevo beach.
- Two so far unidentified persons are on the run, with intensive work underway on identification.
Officers of the Interior Ministry (MUP), the Criminal Police Directorate and the Anti-Drug Service on May 28 seized around 20 kilograms of cocaine. The seizure was carried out in the area of Backa Palanka, near the Celarevo beach on the Danube river.
Two so far unidentified persons are suspected of committing the offense of unlawful production and trafficking of narcotics under Article 246 of the Criminal Code. According to initial findings, the suspects transported the drugs by motor boat on the Danube.
Value of the seized drugs
The market value of the seized cocaine, according to estimates by the competent services, stands at around 1 million euros. It is one of the larger individual seizures of this type of drug in the territory of the Novi Sad Police Administration in recent months.
According to informal accounts from sources close to the investigation, the drugs had been left in several packages along the riverside. Operational work by the criminal investigations unit, in coordination with the border police, allowed the shipment to be intercepted before it was further distributed inland.
Legal classification
The offense of unlawful production and trafficking of narcotics under Article 246 of the Criminal Code is punishable by 3 to 12 years in prison. When the offense involves larger quantities of drugs or an organized group, the sentence may be more severe.
The offense under Article 246, paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code, when the subject of the offense is a larger quantity of narcotics, is punishable by 5 to 15 years’ imprisonment, while the organized form carries at least 10 years.
The Interior Ministry (MUP) said police are working intensively to identify and locate the suspects, and that the chain of evidence has been secured for further proceedings.
What comes next in the probe
Under standard procedure, once the suspects are identified and brought in, the case will be forwarded to the Novi Sad Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office. The prosecutor’s office will then decide on any motion for detention.
So far in the operation, a forensic examination of the chemical composition and purity of the seized drugs has been ordered at the National Criminal Forensics Center. According to informal accounts, work is underway in parallel to determine who was due to receive the shipment on the other side of the Danube.
The Anti-Drug Service is reminding the public that police are working intensively on suppressing smuggling via waterways. Anonymous tips on suspicious activity along the Danube can be reported by calling 192.
Will the operation extend to further arrests in northern Serbia?
