INTERRUPTION OF CIGARETTE SMUGGLING

BETWEEN MONTENEGRO AND ITALY

Washing One's Hands

In just a few days, the bulky meachanism of international cigarette smuggling with the basis on the Montenegrin seaside completely collapsed. Arrests of Italian mobsters who have until recently conducted business undisturbed in Montenegro are not the result of sudden efficiency of Italian "Carabinieri", but a result of international pressure exerted against state agencies of Montenegro

AIM Podgorica, 16 November, 1996

Forty four year old Italian, Antonio Tonino Pagano, alias "Cross-Breed", has become well known to caterers along the Montenegrin seaside in the past three years which he has spent in Montenegro. To tell the truth, it was not difficult to notice him: he drove a Ferrari Testarosso, he was always surrounded by beuatiful girls, and he had plenty of money - he was known for fabulous tips. In the centre of Bar, he rented a two-storey villa which was day and night guarded by four bodyguards, from where he coordinated, with his Italian and Montenegrin companions, the entire operation of cigarette smuggling for neighbouring Italy.

On Saturday, 9 November, Antonio Pagano, who was searched for in vain for four years by Italian police and Interpol, was arrested in a Roman suburb, in a villa rented in the name of his Romanian girl-friend Delia Liliana Ivanesku. Italian police has obviously, from reliable sources in Montenegro, had all necessary data about the planned direction of movement of the Italian mobster, member of the criminal organization Sacra Coron Unita (Sacred United Crown). Just as he had arrived in Italy in a rented car with German licence plates, he was caught by the "Carabinieri".

Antonio Pagano, one of the key men of the mob organization Sacred United Crown from the South of Italy, was finally arrested. This is a comparatively new organization the founder and main boss of which is Guiseppe Rognoli, by origin from Brindisi. Unusual for mob organizations, Sacred United Crown is greatly decentralized, so that its local branches have a significant level of "self-administration". Antonio Pagano was known as the right hand of Salvatore Buccarelli, boss of Pullo branch of the Sacred United Crown, that is of the clan popularly called "Turturinezzi". This mob organization, fourth in Italy by its force, gained control of the South of the country, engaged in classical mob business: smuggling of narcotics, arms and control of prostitution, primarily in the region of Pullo.

The period in which the mob of the Sacred United Crown gained power coincides with dissolution of former Yugoslavia, exodus of the Albanian population and United Nations sanctions against Serbia and Montenegro. For Italian criminals, constantly closely observed by the Interpol and Italian police, suddenly a new promised land (terra promessa) appeared just a few hundred kilometres away from the Italian coast. Running away from the Italian police and the charges raised against him by Interpol back in 1992, Antonio Pagano sought refuge in Montenegro.

He picked the Montenegrin port of Bar to be his seat and he was the first to whom it occurred that the sanctions and excommunication of Montenegro from the world could be converted into money. He started, in coordination with his Italian and Montenegrin companions, directing the powerful cigarette smuggling business, using Montenegrin ports Bar and Zelenika as the main loading points of goods which were then transported by fast motor boats to Brindisi, Bari and other ports on the Italian coast. The business deal proceeded according to the following procedure. By "Antonov 12" planes owned by a Bellorussian privately owned company, from the port of Burgas, large quantities of cigarettes (mostly Marlboro and Rothmans) were transported to the Podgorica airport, which were pro-forma exported to Albania, but in fact transported to the Montenegrin coast. Here they were loaded into large (up to 12 meter long) Italian fast motor boats and transported to warehouses on the Italian coast, usually in Brindisi or Bari. Cigarettes were then delivered to Italian cities and further on to Europe.

It is rather interesting that this complicated operation was carried on completely undisturbed: the public has not been informed about a single case of prevention of the transportation of goods by Montenegrin police, although a small army of men from Podgorica were engaged in unloading of planes, who were paid up to 70 German marks for a single night, which is considered to be a very high fee for Montenegrin circumstances.

In the meantime, unpleasant incidents were happening on the Montenegrin coast: two years ago, a fast Italian boat badly injured a swimmer in Bar, and in the beginning of last summer, some twenty odd kilometres from the Montenegrin coast a ship full of explosives and arms exploded. Reaction of Montenegrin police was more than lukewarm: two short statements from which it could only be gathered that the Ministry of the interior of Montenegro was not responsible for the mentioned cases.

During three years this business transaction acquired enormous dimensions: it is evaluated that annual turnover, only from cigarette smuggling, amounted to 1,500 billion lire (about billion and a half marks). Despite frequent urging and even protests of the Italian police, Montenegrin authorities did not seem to be able to trace this chain of smuggling. The second program of Italian state television (RAI DUE) broadcast during summer last year a few programs publicly accusing state agencies of Montenegro that "they either do not wish or do not want" to cooperate with the Italian police, and Montenegro was proclaimed "the untouchable stronghold of Italian mob". Along with the cigarette business, "accompanying" business flourished - smuggling of weapons, organized prostitution, as well as trade with children. After persistent demands of Italian authorities that the Montenegrin state extradite Italians citizens who are wanted by international police - there was no answer. On the contrary, Momir Bulatovic, President of Montenegro, stressed in the Montenegrin parliament that "Montenegro will not cooperate with the Italian police until Italy, based on reciprocity, does not extradite Montenegrin and Serb criminals who are in Italy". This was practically a confession that the Montegrin state would do nothing to keep at bay the quite obvious smuggling between Montenegro and Italy. At the time the Italian press assessed that almost half of the leading men of local gangs of the Sacred United Crown had found refuge in Montenegro. Apart from that, according to available information, members of other three mafia organizations also found refuge in Montenegro: Cosa Nostra, Camore and Nadraguete.

However, times and circumstances have significantly changed. Smuggling of cigarettes in just three years reached such a level that even a large cigarette manufacturer, Americal Philip Morris Company, demanded from the Italian Government to break the chain of smuggling coming from Montenegro. Interests of big business initiated an operation of large proportions, with the participation of Interpol whose officials visited Montenegro last summer. Apart from that, by signing the Dayton accords Montenegro took upon itself to respect international standards. For the sake of becoming a member of the international community again, certain "sacrifices" had to be made. Political pressures on the authorities in Montenegro started again. On the occasion of its recent visit to Bari, it was clearly explained to the Montenegrin state delegation that the chain of smuggling must be broken, regardless of who was involved in it and how. Italian Minister of internal affairs Giorgio Napolitano publicly, a couple of months ago, expressed hope that the Montenegrin police would finally take part in the operation.

Series of arrests which followed showed that the "request" of Italian minister was finally taken seriously in Montenegro. It is evident that the ruling elite assessed that time of concealing has passed: in a very short time a portion of Italian citizens "temporarily employed" in Montenegro who had obviously previously been "marked" by police inspectors were arrested. Among the arrested are Antonio Vitale, alias "Morrocan", and two days ago "carabinieri" obviously had all the necessary data when Benedeto Stano (also a membner of the Sacra Corona Unite) would leave Montenegro and head for Italy. At a press conference after the arrest of Antonio Pagano, head of the police of Brindisi, Giorgio Oliva, expressed hope that the same destiny was awaiting other Italian mobsters living in Montenegro. According to the latest data, Italian bosses suddenly realized that Montenegro was not "terra promessa" any more: some of the remaining "respectable" members of the Sacred United Crown (Francesco Prudentino, Santo Vantagiato, Carmino Taurisano and Francesco Sparaso) with haste found new places of residence, most probably in the neighbopuring Albania and Greece.

Arrests of bosses of Pullo mobsters known for organized cigarette smuggling from Montenegro, flustered the public in Italy: in just a few days, the bulky mechanism of international cigarette smuggling based on the Montenegrin coast completely collapsed. There are still no official reactions in Montenegro, as if nothing has happened. The authorities are elegantly avaiding accusations that they had known all the time for "the business of cigarette transit". One can do nothing but hope that this has not endangered the concept of self-financing of Montenegro. It is highly indicative, however, that after almost two years, regular payment of pensions is delayed in Montenegro.

Drasko DJURANOVIC