Gold And Drugs And Folk 'N' Roll

The car bomb that exploded in front of the Avala hotel in Budva did not surprise the police, an understandably anonymous source told VREME.

Astounded locals and hotel staff said the explosion was lucky for some. If the remote controlled device had exploded just minutes later it would probably have hurt and killed a large number of people. Others say there would have been no explosion if the police had been quick and more cautious.

In any case Budva's tourist season will be remembered for that bomb.

A local tourist worker said no one had any interest in finding out what was going on and disclosing potential dangers that loom around every corner. Inevitably Budva will get an M for mafia on the tourist maps along with many other Adriatic resorts.

The police has not yet published a detailed report on its investigation into the killing of Bora Nedovic. They were quick to conclude that the killing was part of a mob war, i.e. revenge for Nedovic's alleged part in the murder of Stanko Petrusic in Belgrade's hotel Jugoslavija last year.

VREME's anonymous source said the police knew Nedovic was in Budva along with others who were always trailing him. He said Nedovic was deliberately killed on the anniversary of the Petrusic killing. Avala hotel staff claim Nedovic wasn't a guest there but others said he was, adding that he was in the hotel under an assumed name with a girl. The girl was allegedly seen with Nedovic just before the explosion. No one has seen her since. Mihailo Djuric and Andrea Bilbija, both from Banja Luka, saw her just before the explosion which badly injured them but they remember nothing of what happened after it. A report from the local first aid center is even more ominous: doctors on duty found ``extra body parts.''

The explosion was so strong that it blew through the double concrete plates of the hotel's underground garage, damaged 30 hotel rooms, destroyed 20 cars.

Vlado Plamenac, architect of the Avala hotel complex, claims the supporting pillars of the building were damaged and the seismological institute needs to check the entire building. There were some 700 people in the hotel when the car bomb went off.

No one is sure whether the bomber really sat by calmly watching but he was certainly a professional who was making sure Nedovic would die. Nedovic always wore a flak jacket.

A bombing so close to so many people raised the ever present fears of the local population to new levels. The rumor going round Montenegro is that the owner of a brand new Audi worth 100,000 DM which burned with another 85,000 DM in cash in the bombing was overjoyed he was still alive. Another story says a musician from Podgorica lost his only transportation, a Yugo car.

Embittered Montenegrins wonder how the two young people from Banja Luka in Bosnia had the money to stay at the expensive hotel Avala and where their luxury car came from. But those two are not the exception since many luxury cars on the Montenegrin coast this summer have Bosnian Serb Republic (RS) registration plates. A statement from the Niksic Security Center which covers four border crossings into Bosnia says most tourists came over those crossing this year. It's a well known fact that permission to leave the RS is issued in Pale (Bosnian Serb political center) and many wonder who the privileged few are.

Owners of small hotels say there's no shortage of money or guns.

``My work's never been harder,'' a veteran police officer told VREME. ``You go out on patrol, in uniform sometimes, more often in plain clothes. When you go into the cafes and casinos you see that you could easily arrest at least half the people there. Some of them have unimaginable amounts of money, they're usually young people. You don't know who's hiding behind the fictitious casino owners. You don't know whether someone is going to put a bullet in you if you ask them for their ID papers or even if the papers are genuine or fake. You have to be very careful who you stop and where and never stop anyone on your own.''

There's a flood of inspectors, detective, bodyguards on the coast. Some guests in luxury hotels have three or four bodyguards. Those men are considered a high risk group because they're willing to do anything for their boss, from brawling to shooting. The worst of it is that the bosses are often equipped with a permit allowing them to drag large entourages around. Some of those bodyguards are wanted and the police know them well. The police have to keep quiet and obey orders. Some of them agree to go with the flow and collect whatever anyone who doesn't want to face a judge will pay.

The population knows all this and they know that the coast has become the most profitable economic region in Yugoslavia. The secret channels used to smuggle cigarettes and coffee in are not being kept secret even by Montenegro's Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic or his brother Svetozar Djukanovic who told the latest session of the republic's Parliament that the tightening of sanctions could close those channels and weaken the national currency. There are too many secret channels in Montenegro and the authorities have hand picked the men to service them. Public prosecutor Vlado Susovic says he won't press charges against any cigarette and oil smuggler if they have permits issued by the authorities. Charges will be instigated only against smugglers who don't want to share their profits. Big deals are given only to the chosen few who are loyal to the authorities. Montenegrin sources say the most powerful bosses are members of the Montenegrin authorities' families. They divided the republic into zones and now everyone knows what they can do and where. Smugglers do not buy fuel at Jugopetrol gas stations for their speed boats in Boka Kotorska, they go to Herceg Novi harbor where the fuel stations are said to be owned by the brother of one of the republic's power brokers. The same man owns the casino in Herceg Novi where his business partners leave part of their profits. The same man threatens anyone who names him publicly. He's clean in the eyes of the law.

Budva has also been reserved for companies with power bases within the authorities. Zeljko Raznjatovic Arkan is moving his business to Bar. He bought or perhaps was given offices and he will be followed by an inevitable entourage from Belgrade's underground. Those men spend their money only in specially chosen places. That draws complaints of low spending from some tourist workers. Ordinary people complain of the extremely high prices. Fahreta Jahic, a very popular folk singer, also complained to Podgorica daily Pobjeda: ``The most expensive Coke I ever drank was in Budva (seven Dinars). It doesn't cost that much in Hollywood.''

The police recently confirmed old rumors of drug trafficking on the Montenegrin coast. First they made several arrests, mainly people from Belgrade. The police found several grams of cocaine and marijuana. Then they launched serious raids but only when a young man from Belgrade died of drug poisoning. Next, they discovered several people in Krasici with 150 grams of marijuana. Drugs were also found in a cafe in Budva. Another 150 grams were found in the possession of a Podgorica man who also had an arsenal and explosives.

Some Budva residents claim a drug smugglers channel ran through their town. They said that channel also ran through the war zone. The rumor is that the channel was accidentally discovered by a local man who was killed under undisclosed circumstances. The question is how many more innocent victims there were. Fear is evident everywhere. Reasonable people keep out of the way and wonder how long this will last. The police is mostly confused because while their colleagues from Perast were expelling Radical Party leader Vojislav Seselj from Montenegro the police in Ulcinj had to clear their town's streets for Arkan and his entourage. The police were not disturbed by the behavior of some of Arkan's men.

Working Abroad

The main road at Bijela near Herceg Novi was the site of bloody armed clash last Sunday. Italian nationals fought among themselves. Roberto Saneolo from Brindizi was killed and the police have not released any statement on the clash. They didn't even say whether the other participants were caught although the townsfolk tell a detailed story of he incident. It's a public secret that Italian smugglers clashed. They use high speed boats to smuggle luxuries and feel safer in Montenegro since only the local police comes after them. In Italy, they have to move around all the time. It's also a well known fact that this wasn't the first clash. The public tells a story of an Italian smuggler who cut off a swimmer's leg with his boat this summer in Bar. The authorities have obviously gotten used to the guest workers.