Bezdan: 17.5 kg of Cocaine in Truck, Driver Arrested

Border police at the Bezdan crossing, on the border with Croatia, seized about 17.5 kilograms of a substance suspected to be cocaine. The truck driver, R. J. (57), was arrested, the Ministry of Interior said.

The seizure was announced on the evening of September 22 by Ivica Dacic, the interior minister in a caretaker government. According to the ministry, the operation was carried out by officers from the Anti-Narcotics Service of the Criminal Police Directorate, working together with the Border Police Directorate and the Sombor Police Department.

The drugs were found during a routine inspection of the truck driven by the suspect.

“Border police officers at the Bezdan crossing, while inspecting a truck driven by the suspect, found two bags in the cab containing 16 packages of a white powdery substance resembling the narcotic cocaine, as well as 17 pills from the list of psychoactive substances and 2,650 euros. The suspect has been ordered held for up to 48 hours and will be brought before the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Sombor along with a criminal complaint,” the minister said.

R. J. is charged with unauthorized production and distribution of narcotics. He remains in custody for up to 48 hours, after which he will be handed over to the prosecutor’s office in Sombor along with a criminal complaint.

Dacic praised the police officers involved in the operation, saying they showed a high level of professionalism and responsibility.

“This kind of successful operation and the seizure of a large quantity of narcotics directly contributes to greater public safety, above all to protecting our children by removing drugs from the streets,” Dacic said.

Srpske Novine reported on September 7 on another cocaine seizure, seven kilograms found in an apartment in Nis. That operation is not connected to the arrest in Bezdan, but it confirms that border crossings remain a target for smuggling routes into Serbia.