Uros Ninkovic Arrested in Crete; Serbia, Montenegro Want Him

Greek police arrested Uros Ninkovic, 38, a Serbian national whom investigators link to the Kavac and Vracar clans, at Heraklion airport on Crete. He was detained while trying to travel on to a European country.

Sources disagree on the exact date of the arrest. Kurir reports Ninkovic was arrested on the afternoon of August 19, while Tanjug, citing Greek media, places the arrest at noon on August 22. Details of the operation only surfaced in recent days.

Officers from Crete’s organized crime unit made the arrest during a routine passenger check at the airport. According to the Greek outlet Skai.gr, Belgrade police had separately issued a warrant for Ninkovic on forgery charges, while the Greek portal 24 Krit reports he was handcuffed after presenting fake identification during the check.

Forged documents in the name of a Czech national

During the check, Ninkovic presented identification that turned out to be forged: a passport, an ID card and a driver’s license, all bearing the details of a Czech citizen. Police confirmed the documents were fake, and a further check revealed he was the subject of an international arrest warrant.

The search also turned up four mobile phones, 4,770 euros in cash, and two watches estimated to be worth around 90,000 euros. Greek police are still investigating where the watches came from.

In his defense before a Greek court, Ninkovic explained why he was traveling under someone else’s identity.

“I forged the passport so that I wouldn’t be kidnapped,” Ninkovic said in his defense before the Greek court.

Wanted in two countries

Montenegro has issued an international warrant for Ninkovic on a murder charge. In Serbia, the Belgrade police department issued a national warrant against him for forging documents, backed by an Interpol red notice. Serbian police, according to available information, are continuing operational cooperation with Interpol’s National Central Bureau in Athens over the arrest.

Intelligence gathered by investigators indicates Ninkovic has worked in recent years for Radoje Zvicer, the fugitive leader of the Kavac clan, as well as for Marko Djordjevic, known as Markidjanja, one of the leaders of the Vracar clan. Greek police are investigating, among other things, why he was in Crete.

Previous arrests and clan ties

Ninkovic has a known criminal history. Slovenia sought him several years ago on suspicion of involvement in a robbery. He was last in the public eye in October 2022, when he was arrested in Montenegro on suspicion of traveling there to kill Mijo Zizic, the father of Luka Zizic, who was murdered in Belgrade on April 8, 2022.

Greek media describe him as a high ranking member of a Serbian criminal group tied to contract killings of members of a rival group.

Greek court acquits on one count, convicts on two

A Greek court acquitted Ninkovic of possessing a fake driver’s license. It found him guilty, however, of attempting to leave the country illegally and of using a forged passport. He was sentenced to 40 months in prison, of which 10 months are to be served in a Greek jail.

Proceedings tied to Montenegro’s murder warrant and Serbia’s forgery warrant have yet to begin, according to available information. While Ninkovic serves part of his Greek sentence, it remains an open question whether he will be extradited to Montenegro, where he faces the more serious charge, once he is released from prison on Crete, or whether he will instead face proceedings under Serbia’s warrant for document forgery.