Bar Chief of Police Arrested by Italian Police

Chasing the Octopus

AIM Podgorica, 10 April, 1998

News announcing that the agents of DIE, Italian Centre for Eradication of the Mafia, have arrested in Bari Vasilije Vaso Baosic, the chief of police of Bar, caused, with good reason, no less than a shock in state administration of Montenegro. According to news-agency reports, this high ranking officer of Montenegrin police was arrested together with his escort, Djuro Crnojevic, unemployed young man from Bar, aged twenty one, unknown to public. The manner of arresting showed that the action was thoroughly planned. It was obvious that special agents of DIA, Italian police unit for fighting the Mafia, were informed about the date of arrival of Baosic and his escort Crnojevic, and they were arrested the moment they stepped on Italian ground from the aeroplane.

Guiseppe Selsi, deputy prosecutor of Bari, indicts the Chief of police in Bar for providing shelter in Montenegro to Italian Mafia members who are escaping from pursuit of Italian police. It is mentioned that Baosic possibly received a sum of 50 million lira (about 50 thousand German marks) a month from Italian Mafia "Sacra Corona Unita" for sheltering people whose names were on the international list of persons wanted by Interpol. According to Italian press Baosic is suspected for sheltering high ranking Italian gangsters, like Tomazzo brothers and Rafelo Laraspata, Guiseppe Calamare and Santa Bantagata in Montenegro. Italian police claims that the other arrested Djuro Crnojevic is a member of "Sacra Corona Unita" for three years already, and that his presence at the meetings of this Mafia organisation was carefully followed by Italian police.

It was evident that chief officers of Montenegrin police were unprepared to react adequately. The statement published few days after the arrest did not help to solve the enigma whether Baosic was a victim of a plot or really involved with Italian Mafia. The following was stated in the report, among other, without explaining further who was responsible for inventing the "Baosic case" and how was it fabricated: "We reject with indignation all the accusations as sensational and invented, as well as verdicts given in advance about Baosic being guilty of alleged connection with the Mafia. We are certain that Italian court will prove this and that after this fabricated case, he will remain as honourable as he has always been."

There is a number of reasons for the emotional reaction of Montenegrin police. First, the "Baosic scandal" happened at an unfavourable moment for Montenegrin authorities

• less than two months before the parliamentary elections. Imprisonment of a high ranking police officer perfectly fits into the story of former Montenegrin president Momir Bulatovic, who has been talking for months about the current authorities as "Mafia gang involved in smuggling". Bulatovic has gained now new ammunition for political squaring accounts with the current authorities in Montenegro.

Besides, for the authorities in Montenegro, this international incident happened at the time of great international diplomatic initiative and international recognition for democratisation of the society and announced reforms. President Djukanovic visited London last week, and he will soon go to Washington, Bonn and Brussels. The last thing he needs now is to explain abroad that Montenegro is not involved in suspicious business with Mafia in southern Italy.

For the first time in history, a policeman from Montenegro and moreover a high ranking police official, was arrested abroad. But it is not for the first time that the state of Montenegro is accused of smuggling and close relations with Italian Mafia. In the period of total isolation of FRY, in mid 1992, a naval patrol of NATO forced a tanker with Liberian flag to stop while it was trying to unload oil in the Bar port. The NATO soldiers arrested the crew, and among them, it turned put, Montenegrin government security officials, and the load of about 2000 tons of oil was confiscated. Only after intervention of Miodrag Lekic, minister of foreign affairs at the time, Montenegrin policemen were liberated from Italian prison in Bari.

There has never been any discussion in the Parliament of Montenegro about connections with Italian Mafia and great business with cigarettes, in spite of insisting by the opposition parties. At the time united DPS simply did not want to admit in public closeness with "suspicious persons" from southern Italy. Even, Interpol inspectors visited Montenegro a few times in mid 1996 in order to force the authorities to co-operate with international police.

The chain of smugglers between Montenegro and Italy was partially revealed, only in October 1996, when Antonio Tony Pagano, one of the chiefs of Mafia organisation "Sacra Corona Unita", a man who had "temporary residence" in Montenegro for two years, was arrested. Sacra Corona Unita is a relatively new organisation, and Guiseppe Ronoli from Brindisi by origin, is considered to be its founder. It is considered that the period of rising of this Mafia family is directly connected with the process of disintegration of Yugoslavia and sanctions against Serbia and Montenegro. In 1992, running away from Italian police, wanted by Interpol, Antonio Pagano sought refuge on the other coast of Adriatic Sea, in Montenegro. He settled down for some time in Bar. It seems that he was one of the first who realised that sanctions and excommunication of Montenegro can be well converted into cash. In co-ordination of his Italian friends and benevolence of Montenegrin officials, he started controlling powerful smuggling of cigarettes, using Montenegrin ports Bar and Zelenika.

According to the data obtained from the Italian department of Interpol smuggling of cigarettes extended. It is estimated that the total sales amounted to at least 1500 billion lira (about 1,5 billion German marks) in 1995, in the period of severe sanctions. In spite of frequent interventions and protests of Italian police, police of Montenegro pretended they were not able to trace illegal business. Italian gangsters were not hiding, they frequently visited exclusive restaurants and their fifteen-meter long motor boats were regularly anchored in ports of Bar and Zelenika.

But as re-integration of Montenegro into the international community slowly bean, the police of Montenegro was forced to co-operate. Probably it did not happen accidentally that first the results of "bilateral" Italian-Montenegrin struggle against the Mafia became visible right after the meeting and long talks of Djukanovic and Italian Minister of internal affairs Giorgio Napolitano (September 1996). By the end of the same year, the police of Montenegro suddenly began "recognising" Italian gangsters in Montenegro. Antonio Vitale called "Moroccan" as well as Benedeto Stano, according to many indications the fourth man of Sacra Corona Unita, were extradited to Italian police. According to the available data, the smugglers' chain between Montenegro and Italy was cut down almost by half of what it used to be, during the last two years.

But, the last week arrest of Vaso Baosic shows that the connections with Italian Mafia did not disappear. It will soon be established whic of the allegations in the Italian press and counter arguments of Montenegrin police are true. Only then, an answer will be obtained to the crucial question, whether Baosic met his destiny because he was carrying out his regular job or because Italian Mafia succeeded to bribe him?

It is not clear how Italian "carabinieri" could have had all the needed data. Were they sent to them from Yugoslavia? Two completely controversial versions can be heard in Podgorica, these days. According to the first, Italian DIA received data on the names and number of Italians in Montenegro from the federal (meaning Serbian) police as part of the comprehensive action directed by Milosevic against the current leadership in Montenegro, in order to regain control in Montenegro.

According to the second version, Baosic "was destroyed" owing to data from Montenegro. In fact, the chain of smuggling in Montenegro is nor centralised, actually at least three organised groups act in parallel, all of them connected to the state. According to this version Baosic is denounced in Italy for one reason only, to eliminate him from competition because he was a strong rival.

In any case, credibility of the government of Montenegro is strongly shaken, and only the coming days as well as the elections in May will show if and how intensely has the Baosic scandal caused weakening of its rating.

Marko VUKOVIC

AIM Podgorica