Pans, Scales, and Jars

As MUP of Serbia announced to a public that is ever eager for its exploits, “members of the Crime Unit have successfully carried out the Operation ‘Lima’ on St. Peter’s Day, July 12, capturing 126 kilograms of cocaine.”  In this way, as was stated, an international trafficking chain has been broken “which lead from Peru, across our country, and into Holland, and included traffickers from Spain and Slovenia.”  Then the details were released.  With the help of a Dutch firm registered in the name of Jozef Presnikar, a citizen both of Slovenia and Holland, 567 rolls of industrial thread were ordered from a Peruvian firm in Lima for the use of a Yugoslav firm “Fondako Sisters”.  The rolls arrived at Belgrade’s Surcin Airport, from where, as Police learned, they were transported with a rented van to the “Fondako” office in Sabac.  There, as Police ascertained, the drugs were emptied from 200 specially marked rolls into pans specifically bought for that purpose.  When the arrested criminal associates, four in all — Presnikar, Dragan Todorovic, owner of Belgrade’s “Fondako”, his associate in Sabac, Zika Vasic and the driver from Belgrade, Igor Asanin — emptied it thus, they proceeded to measure it.  And precisely, at that, with an electrical scale which had previously been purchased in “Birotehna” by Todorovic.  They packed the measured drug into previously prepared jars by rolling it into protective cellophane and pouring jam into them.  When they put in all that hard work, they took the cans and jars, which were supposed to be exported to Holland as conserved fruit, and the remaining jam to the “Vocar” Factory in Koceljeve for original packaging.  However, “they were foiled in their activities by the Police Crime Unit which, in an efficient operation, arrested” all the aforementioned.  Matija Zivkovic, chief of the crime unit in Sabac, testified to the truthfulness of the cited information at a press conference, stating that the co-owner of “Fondako”, Luka Jovanovic of Valjevo, is still being sought.  Information released about the efficient operation was completed by the Assistant Chief of the Police Crime Unit of the MUP of Serbia, Miodrag Vukovic, who stated that “the police is presently investigating the connection of this trafficking ring with the Albanian narco-mafia which finances the terrorist organization KLA.”  This was supported by “certain information which points in that direction.”  It is possible that this “information” is based on the estimated value of the appropriated drug — 25 German marks, that is to say with a street value of 125 German marks.  Information of another sort, above all from experts, relate to the question why the police hurried with the release of its efficiency when it is customary for the drug to be followed to its final user, in this case Holland, before releasing any information.

HOW LIMA CAME UP: Or, more precisely, how did the police crime unit cut off so efficiently and successfully such a large trafficking chain?  Koceljeve, a town between Sabac and Valjevo.  Through the town runs the main street, a highway, with the “Vocar” Factory in the center, a public enterprise for warehousing and processing of fruit.  The telephones were not working so we were taken by the fireman to the company’s director.  Director Dragan Zivkovic, although busy, did receive us.  He stated that the situation is delicate, that they are in a rut with so much money involved — how could it happen to them, they are unable to speak because of the security of workers.  Indefinite information is at issue — the cans were brought here only for packaging, they had no clue what was in them.  And they do many services, which include the closing of cans.  He is only able to say that they played an exceptionally positive role, while the MUP people wanted to give them a certificate.  There is no question that the workers are involved.  He represents them.  How then did it happen?  As far as he knows, Zika Vasic from Sabac, who earlier worked in “Sabac promet” which used to be part of “AIK” of Sabac, together with “Vocar”, came 15 days ago and bought 50 empty cans, paid in cash, was not asked who they were for or where he works, being personally known by Slobodan Paunovic, a salesman.  He said that he needed the cans for a trial production of jam.  On Saturday, July 11, he came with two cans in a bag, saying that he finished with the trial production, wanted to tie up these two, and if they were O.K., he’d bring the rest in the afternoon.  Tied them up and left, the second shift was told that there would be around 40 cans in the afternoon.  In the afternoon, when they, Vasic and Asanin, brought the cans, the workers became suspicious and someone called the police.  They came, took them away, no one resisted.  That’s all, so there is no question about the workers.  Let’s at least see where it all took place.  He took us to the spacious concrete building, workers in white coats are closing up jars with pickles, to the side he points to a German machine for closing cans from the ‘50s.  He shows us out.  They offer a service, he says, sometimes it even happens that our people working abroad come to package cans full of Slivovitz, because of customs, but who would even imagine drugs...  In any case, all he can say is that they played a positive role.

There are several stories among the locals about how the cans became suspicious to the workers.  According to one, one can was crushed during closing.  Vasic and Asanin did not let the workers come near it, but took it behind a truck to try to fix it.  According to another, the weight was suspicious. The workers were used to contents weighing 5 kg, so Vasic explained to them that this is a special jam made from herbs which makes it a lot lighter.  Be that as it may, at the special call from workers, the Koceljeve police arrested Vasic, so that only later the efficient Police Criminal Unit realized that Lima is in Peru.  The locals cannot comprehend that both Vasic and Asanin voluntarily drove their vehicle — without attempting to escape — all together with the cans, to the police station in Koceljeve.

HOW DID COCA GET TO SABAC: The residents of Sabac cannot stop marveling at how drugs, and in such quantities, ended up in their town.  And “neighbor Joe” being tied up in the whole matter.  However, experience dictates that surprises come from unexpected places.  Several years ago, exactly at the time when Serbs across the Drina and our other rivers protected their hearths fiercely, and when Zirinovsky whispered to Seselj about the destructive power of “eliptones” — the small thing that kills living beings, leaving weapons and machinery unharmed — it was publicly announced that the production of the “small wonder” had been established in Sabac.  Even the inventor had been named — Tomislav Simic.  It emerged that of all wonders, Toma makes musical bed pans.

Zika Vasic is known in Sabac as a decent man.  Admittedly, he does have problems.  They say that his son uses drugs.  That is why Zika always demanded wherever and whenever he went that drug dealers be punished severely.  Otherwise, a decent background — worked in AIK, was director of the syndicate, in the 80's in the Regional Youth Leadership in voluntary labor campaigns.  He become a private businessman, did well, “was as clean as a whistle”.  The town says that he was worth between 50 to 80 thousand marks in this job.  Not bad.

A metal detector in the Regional Court. Regional Public Prosecutor Branko Njegovan is busy, says that we should wait.  In one of the neighboring offices, one of the public prosecutors is dictating a decision by the court on the sentence for the few accused of “growing and trafficking narcotics”.  The prosecutor even reaches the conclusion, “Drug abuse is a social menace which, given the specific social and economic conditions, cannot be treated like classic crime...”  Prosecutor Njegovan finally agrees to see us. “MUP agents discovered a certain amount of cocain, precisely 126 kg, in a successful action conducted on the territory of Koceljeve. MUP arrested four individuals. These were brought to Regional Court for a hearing and were sentenced to prison. The investigation is still proceeding...”  All of those arrested are in the Regional Prison in Sabac.  The prosecutor says that it is questionable whether the worth of the drugs is 25 million German marks.  It is most likely approximate, the value concerns more the danger to society.  He says, don’t write “approximately”, there is quite a bit of drugs...  And where are the drugs?  The drugs, the prosecutor states quite seriously, is in the possession of the Regional Court, and it is usually destroyed.  But if it can be used for medical purposes, why should it go to waste?  It remains to be decided what will be done — if it is of sufficient quality, it might go for medical use, under medical supervision.  So where is it?  When the investigation reaches the prosecuting judge, it usually goes under special supervision, which is not the case at the moment, but will be forwarded, when it will be decided what should be done...

The prosecutor, as a citizen and a family man, changes to small talk about the phenomenon of drug abuse.  He has upright attitudes.  We are not likely to find out much.  Drugs are tied in with the mafia, and the mafia has a law of silence.  Whoever gets in, never comes out.  He watches mafia movies.  They are a favorite with him.  And what about Zika?  Zika is a decent man, at least that’s how he knows him, which surprised him.  Look, for instance, the brain, what a miraculous organ, you put in a wrong program and everything goes berserk — the prosecutor continues to state correct attitudes even where such complex issues are concerned.  And Zika?  What could Zika do, he was driven to it, his son, small wages...