Serbian police have arrested 30 drug smugglers and dealers in a 13-month joint operation with German police, Serbia's interior minister said on September 13.
Police confiscated about 300 kilograms of cocaine and other drugs and discovered seven drug-processing laboratories in both Serbia and Germany, Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic said.
Stefanovic added that the street value of the confiscated drugs was estimated at 20 million euros, while police also found weapons and money.
Stefanovic said the operation "dealt a huge blow to the organized drug cartels."
The suspects included a Belgrade soccer club fan leader, he said. Three suspects remain at large.
In neighboring Montenegro, authorities have arrested nine members of a criminal gang allegedly behind a recent spate in murders in the UNESCO-protected coastal town of Kotor, a top tourist resort.
Seven other suspects are on the run, the organized crime prosecutor's office said late on September 12. The suspects face drug smuggling, weapons possession, and abuse of power charges, the statement said.
Clashes between criminal gangs have threatened the tourist season in Kotor, famous for its old town with narrow stone streets and ancient churches.