The Serbian Economist reports that Europol has reported new progress in the investigation against the so-called “Balkan cartel”: one of the alleged key members of the network, which the investigation links to the supply of large consignments of cocaine from South America to the European market, has been detained in Montenegro. According to the agency, the case concerns the smuggling of 2.7 tonnes of drugs.
According to Europol, Montenegrin judicial authorities have indicted several suspects, while the investigation itself is focused on the international logistics of drug trafficking, financial flows and coordination of deliveries within Europe. This is about a structure that, according to investigators, operated through several countries and used the Balkans as part of a wider criminal network.
Earlier, in December 2025, the agency reported on a separate deal in Germany against key figures in this environment, at that time it was about three detainees and confiscation of assets worth about 5 million euros.
For the Balkan countries, such cases have not only a criminal but also an economic dimension. Strengthened international investigations, increased data sharing between police and financial intelligence, and pressure on shadowy cross-border flows are becoming part of a broader agenda to reduce the region’s reputational and institutional risks. For Montenegro, Serbia and neighbouring markets, this is also important in terms of investment image, as the fight against organised crime remains one of the EU’s constant evaluation criteria.