Sremska Mitrovica Drug Bust: 180 Kilos of Marijuana, Cocaine
Police arrested a 28-year-old man in Sremska Mitrovica and found 180 kilograms of marijuana, 18 kilograms of cocaine and amphetamine precursors in his apartment, the Interior Ministry said.
Officers of the Interior Ministry arrested a man in Sremska Mitrovica suspected of unauthorized production and trafficking of narcotics. In the apartment where he was staying, though not registered at that address, they found close to 180 kilograms of marijuana and 18 kilograms of cocaine. Interior Minister Ivica Dacic announced the arrest.
The suspect is M. K., 28. The Pink news portal reports in its own coverage that he was born in 1998.
The operation was carried out by the Criminal Police Directorate, the Service for Combating Organized Crime and the Department for Suppression of Organized Drug Smuggling, in cooperation with the Department for Special Operations and the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Sremska Mitrovica.
“Members of the Interior Ministry, the Criminal Police Directorate, the Service for Combating Organized Crime and the Department for Suppression of Organized Drug Smuggling, in cooperation with the Department for Special Operations and the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Sremska Mitrovica, arrested M. K. (28) on suspicion of committing the criminal offense of unauthorized production and trafficking of narcotics,” Dacic said in a statement from the Interior Ministry.
The search of the apartment also turned up 43 liters of amphetamine oil and 11 kilograms of caffeine, a substance used in amphetamine production, in addition to the marijuana and cocaine. Police also found around five kilograms of hashish. Along with the drugs, they seized 2,800 euros in cash and two electronic precision scales.
The combined weight of everything seized tops 200 kilograms, and that is the figure Telegraf and Espreso use in their headlines. Tanjug and the Interior Ministry’s own statement, however, do not give a combined total, instead listing the substances separately: 180 kilograms of marijuana, 18 kilograms of cocaine, 43 liters of liquid and 11 kilograms of caffeine.
The suspect has been ordered held for up to 48 hours.
“The suspect has been remanded for up to 48 hours and will be brought before the competent prosecutor’s office along with a criminal complaint,” Dacic said.
M. K. is charged with the criminal offense of unauthorized production and trafficking of narcotics. He is presumed innocent until a final verdict, so he is referred to here as a suspect.
The Sremska Mitrovica operation is the second major seizure the Interior Ministry has announced in the past few days. The previous week, police seized 47,490 packs of cigarettes in Aleksinac, while a separate operation confiscated weapons in Lebane. This is the first time we have reported on the Sremska Mitrovica drug seizure.
