CEE crime/spy and somewhat appalling political roundup (November 22)
Yes, a bit of a catch-up was in order, as November has been a busy, busy month for world-wide authorities.
The Corners will continue posting said round-ups (although likely more on a bi-weekly or monthly basis, as so many cases need time to develop). Please note that the Ukrainian war update is now covered on the weekly vlog.
Albania
Albania has had a busy November with, yes, the soap-opera incarceration of Greek minority mayor elect Fredi Beleri complicating everything from Albanian-Greek relations to Albania’s eventual bid for EU membership, which Greece has stated it will very definitely block should Beleri remain jailed and under prosecution.
Beleri, elected mayor of the town of Himare, was accused of vote buying and has been incarcerated for months. This has enraged at least some members of the Greek government, which is walking the walk and refusing to sign a joint statement by the other members of the EU on accession talks for potential new members (although Greece did still ok talks for North Macedonia—ah, the spirit of Zorba lives on). Likewise, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis while not stating that he will block Albanian negotiation talks has strongly implied this will be the case. This has riled none other than German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who on Nov. 14 decried the “bilateralization” of talks. In other words… Greece blocking the Albanian path.
Beleri’s next court appearance is Nov. 22. He has pleaded innocence… and implied he was set-up.
Meanwhile, Albanian gangs were still the rage both at home and abroad, with the following noted only over the past 10 days:
1) The notorious Aldo I. (a.k.a. Gini), an Albanian arrested on an Interpol red notice went to trial Nov. 14 for attempted murder and actually shot another man in Luxembourg back in 2020 (which, yes, does rather qualify for the crime) before being arrested in Brussels one year later. He has also been linked to drug trafficking and has in the past kidnapping and homosexual rape as part of a past gang war.
2) Interpol, together with the US DEA and Colombian police apprehended Klodian Z. (a.k.a. El Gringo), a key cog in the wheel of both cocaine distribution and a money laundering machine that supported drug trafficking to the US and Europe.
3) Sixteen members of a narco-gang in Belgium were convicted of trafficking EUR 29 mln (or more than 900 kilos) of cocaine. According to the Albanian Daily News, the head of the gang was listed by the initials A.B., and both his brothers and parents were involved in the gang, which operated also operated by renting properties in Antwerp and in Damme. Family and investment diversification—always keys to success.
4) Four Albanians were arrested as part of an Italian mafia bust that was seen as a major blow to De Marte Gioffre family and hence to the Ndragheta, with the Albanian Daily News noting these were Agim K., Eugers N., Elvis C. and Indrit S., all under 30-years-old. Hey, get your experience while you are young. The group used, according to the daily, “cryptophones,” and it has been implicated in both narcotics and weapons trafficking.
In still bigger news, Turkish police arrested the infamous Dritan R., leader of Kompanio Bello, who was sought on an Interpol red notice for kidnapping, blackmail, murder, drug trafficking, arms trafficking and document forgeries (passports). Turkish police detailed the arrest, noting that Dritan R. was using a fake Colombian passport at the airport in Istanbul.
Crime watchers may remember that Dritan R. not only has long been considered a major player in drug trafficking, but once escaped arrest in 2006 because someone happened to leave a cell door open during questioning at police headquarters in Durres.
His tricky quip to the guards at the time? “They are finished with me.”
Which is when he happily skipped out the door.
More specifically, he has been accused and convicted of killing cops, cocaine trafficking and armed robbery in Belgium, but his waltz out the door in 2006 was not his only escape, as he also bolted from prison in Milan 2011 with two other inmates, was re-arrested in Spain, extradited to Belgium where he… escaped from a prison in Antwerp.
He was later imprisoned in Ecuador so he simply ran his empire from there until… he escaped yet again.
Ironically, Dritan R. once claimed to have wanted to study law, but he turned to cocaine trafficking after having been arrested and accused of murder in Albania… as the system there was inherently unfair.
Ok.
Bulgaria
Plug of the month—only days ago arms manufacturer/oligarch Emilian Gebrev weas interviewed by the Financial Times (and for good reason) over the fact that his factories have been burned that he has been poisoned twice with nerve agents similar to those used to hit Sergei Skripal in Britain. And the cases have somehow never received media attention (well, Yours Truly is a good exception) and they also wind up stalled even in Bulgarian courts. Gebrev points to Russian GRU—which is quite a logical conclusion. Check out the article here: https://www.ft.com/content/b1aa5696-6515-487d-ba4d-380c9c431c18
Readers will note that Bulgaria fairly enraged Serbia and Hungary with a transit tax on Russian gas passing through the Bulgarian link of the TurkStream pipeline, surprisingly levied in October—and Bulgaria is collecting.. Probably. Hungary has called foul, North Macedonia is upset and Serbia is certainly not happy.
Yet the payments of approximately USD 11 per megawatt-hour of gas, while stuck on the buyer, will de facto at least partially come out of the pockets of… Gazprom, and Gazprom has been at odds with Bulgaria primarily since Bulgaria held fast on its refusal to buckle and pay for gas in rubles when Russia attempted to adjust to western sanctions at the beginning of the war in Ukraine. Bulgaria then joined Western sanctions and refused to buy Russian gas. In fact, the new tax is meant to reduce Russian profits and hinder the Russian war machine.
In early November five Bulgarians were accused of working for a Russian spy ring in the UK, these being Vanya G., Orlin R., Bizer D., Katrin I., and Ivan S., all of whom have now with espionage charges for their activities over the past three years. Orlin R., Bizer D. and Katrin I. also forged press IDs and pretended to be… journalists (!!!) for… National Geographic (!!!) in order to take photos of sensitive sites in the UK, Scotland, Germany and Montenegro. Allegedly, the spies were working for Austrian Jan M., the CEO of Wirecard who is both wanted and believed to be living in Russia.
Czech Republic
Forget crime in CEE. One of the top stories in Czechia had an ugly US spin, as a Czech camera crew travelled all the way to San Francisco to cover the APEC Sunday only to have their camera equipment stolen at gunpoint. No suspects had been apprehended at press time.
Infamous (yes, we are using that word a lot) mafia boss Radovan K. South African court case continued this week, as Radovan K. had petitioned for a proper trial after having been sentenced effectively in absentia to 15 years in Prague. The catch? As he is not a fugitive, but imprisoned in South Africa, which means (to him and his legal counsel anyway) that he should receive a fair trial. Even an overturning of this conviction would be unlikely to do him a great deal of good, as he is serving a 35-year jail sentence for kidnapping and attempted murder.
In fact, Radovan K.’s list of crimes or probably crimes does run long. At one time he was one of the Czech Republic’s richest persons, having taken advantage of (like many) the Czech privatization voucher years. Yet he ran for the Seychelles when the going got hot, and he was first sentenced in absentia in 2012 for fraud totalling CZK 108 mln. He was also indicated for planning to murder a custom’s official. In South Africa he faces multiple cases on charges ranging from kidnapping to murder to attempted murder and assault. He has been suspected of being behind the murder of crime boss Cyril Beeka and other gang killings, as well as of the murder of auto works company Gemballa founder Uwe Gemballa.
Yet life has not always come easy for him, as he himself was targeted via a car bomb, and undoubtably he has made his share of enemies. Yet he also has friends in low places (or did at one time anyway) as South African authorities have claimed that some EUR 18 mln was put up in order to try to facilitate a failed prison escape in 2015. Money was paid to prison officials, police and even airport officials who would have given him landing rights and the ability to fly out of the company had the escape been pulled off.
Ah, what could have been.
Hungary
While much has been made of US-China talks, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has also done his share of talking with regard to energy support—from Russia and China—as well. Orban scrambled to meet with Gazprom, and Gazprom has promised to up volumes to that country in the wake of Bulgaria’s move to put a transit tax on gas pumped through Bulgaria to both Hungary and Serbia.
This has angered the EU, with EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson stating that only one leader was “shaking hands with that war criminal” and also stating that it was “regrettable” that Hungary is also moving forward on the Paks II nuclear project, as cited by Politico. Paks II will also be reliant on Russia for fuel. The EU now has the 12th Russian sanction package in the works, but don’t expect Orban to play along.
Latvia
The European Public Prosecutors Office (EPPO) and KNAB are reportedly investigating the city of Valmiera over European Regional Developmental Funds, with Valmiera Mayor Janis B. now under the eye. Janis B. has denied all wrongdoing—and in fact both the EPPO and KNAB have been unclear regarding the nuts and bolts of the alleged crime, which appears to have been based on obtaining more funds than warranted when there is not an open tender, but a pre-selected tenant for a public building. That said, the tenant in this case, Defense Partnership Latvija, which is set to produce Finnish Patria armoured vehicles, was supposedly chosen in an open tender so clarity remains… unclear. At this point, Janis B. is barred from saying more, due to an ongoing investigation. Defense Partnership Latvija has indirectly confirmed that an investigation is ongoing, Patria has noted that it has not become subject of any investigation and KNAB is mum. This one needs time to play out.
On that note, so do the cases involving the murder-for-hire death of insolvency lawyer Martins Bunkus, and the accused banker Mihails U. and co-defendant Aleksandrs B., not to mention the various trials of Latvian former Central Bank President Ilmars R., but give us time. Give us time.
Poland
As predicted, the former reigning Law-and-Justice (PiS) party has neither stepped aside, and nor is it planning to go quietly. First, Polish President Andrzej Duda did give outgoing Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki first dibs on forming a new government—even though PiS as bound to find it highly difficult to pick off enough rogue reps from other parties to make headway here.
Duda’s decision brought derision from basically all corners—not that this came as a surprise.
But the bad news has kept coming for PiS. The (former) opposition, led by the Civic Coalition (KO) successfully saw Szymon Holownia elected as speaker—and this with a surprisingly high number of votes, which indicated that MPs have finally picked up on the will of the people (after all, 74.4 percent voter participation does send a message). Holownia received 265 votes to PiS’s candidate, Elzbieta Witek, who received 193.
Holownia immediately made it clear (and has continued to make it clear) that the “majority” is ready to form a government—telling Duda this during his first session. Meanwhile, PiS founder and party strongman Jaroslaw Kaczynski, ignored tradition and standards (to put it lightly) by approaching Holownia directly during the session and reportedly stating that as (former?) prime minister he wanted to address the session.
This spawned endless discussion in the press. Meanwhile, Duda—who technically did have the right to give Morawiecki the chance to form a government first, as PiS receive more votes than did any other single party—stuck to his guns and said he believed Morawiecki’s claim that a PiS government could come to fruition. Yet there is a 14-day limit here… and even without the rumours of further ruptures within PiS and internal dissatisfaction with Kaczynski , time is running out.
And in the meantime, it seems that the “former opposition” (still not sure how to call them, as they have not yet been given a chance to form a government) has prepared well for those wilily PiS officials. Or at least new Parliament Speaker Holownia has, as during the Nov. 14 first session Holownia withstood a “charge” by PiS officials from all sides (including the aforementioned Kaczynski approach to the pedestal) during the first planned debate—this being changes to the National Judicial Council. During the debate, PiS representative attempted to take the floor and stage what would have been the equivalent of a series of US-style filibusters—yet Holownia proved adept at forcing the various MPs to sit right back down due to the fact that they were not actually functioning as ministers—and new National Judicial Council members were selected, despite expected (and rather aggressive) PiS resistance. Pundits are calling this Holownia’s first test (and an omen of things to come with regard to PiS eventually moving—officially—to the opposition), and Holownia passed.
The Polish crime scene has also proven busy in November, with a series of busts that included the following:
• The arrest of Marek N., who has a long history that includes murder, but who incidentally became tripped up during a Polish Central Bureau of Investigation (CBSP) raid on an illegal cigarette manufacturing plant. Marek N., along with several other hard-core gang members, was detained in the Plonsk district due to a joint operation by the CBŚP and officers of the Masovian KAS. In total eight person were arrested, and the bust was the successful result of a long-term investigation into illegal cigarette production. Yet most interesting is that “Marek from Marek” was also detained, as he had been sought as a fugitive for months after bailing on a life-imprisonment sentence for having murdered two persons in 2000. (And just why he was out free in the first place is a whole separate discussion).
Additionally, Marcin W. alias. "The Devil", was arrested. He was out on parole, having been sent down on a 20-year sentence for murder with a firearm.
Thus it was no surprise that the raid also took place with the support of the Central Counter-Terrorist Unit of the Police "BOA" and the Independent Counter-Terrorist Units of the Police from Warsaw and Olsztyn, as well as police officers constituting helicopter crews from the Police Aviation Directorate of the GSP Headquarters.
Let’s just say it was an intense raid.
Apart from the eight arrested, police seized four million cigarettes that lacked Polish excise stamps, but which all bore the falsified brand of one of the world's best-known producers were seized there. Police estimated that if the manufactured cigarettes had been put on the market, the State Treasury would have lost almost PLN 5 mln.
Likewise, police seized cultivated hemp.
All suspects were placed under temporary arrest with further investigation and charges pending.
• Also in early November police arrested a possible Czech arms trafficker who at any rate had hidden various types of firearms and ammunition were hidden in the trunk of the car, at home, in utility rooms, and in specially constructed hiding places in forest areas. CBSP officers secured 36 weapons, including handguns, rifles and submachine guns, but also 186 important firearm components and 17.5 thousand pieces of ammunition of various calibers. According to police findings, the price of one piece of this type of weapon on the black market ranges from PLN 1,000 to PLN 2,000. euro. The investigation is ongoing and being conducted by the Lower Silesian PZ Division of the National Prosecutor's Office.
Interestingly, the investigation, while having begun in Lower Silesia, where police detained a Czech arms trafficker, may well go much wilder, as the Czech was transporting 20 receivers for UZI submachine guns, two pistols, two revolvers, 14 rifles and machine guns, 18 submachine guns of various brands, 186 important firearm elements in the form of barrels, locks, chambers, skeletons and the aforementioned 17.5 thousand pieces of ammunition of various types and calibers. He is currently looking at eight years in prison.
• CBSP police also continue to clamp down on prostitution, as in mid-November Police officers from the Rzeszów Directorate of the Central Police Investigation Bureau, under the supervision of the Podkarpackie Branch of the Department of Organized Crime and Corruption of the National Prosecutor's Office in Rzeszów, broke the back of a gang that had apparently been running residential escort agencies in Warsaw for several years. Police stated that several dozen women providing services could have "worked" in several "apartment buildings" in Warsaw for the gang, with the women having been primarily recruited through internet portals. Members of the group organized their workplace, arranged clients, performed photo sessions, brought them to clients, and also ensured job security, in return for which the women gave them half of the money they earned.
According to investigators, monthly income likely hit the PLN 90,000 level, and money earned was invested, among others, in real estate located in the Masovian province.
During raids undertaken in Warsaw and Torun, the CBSP arrested three, seized nearly PLN 40,000 as well as several dozen mobile phones, a telescopic baton and luxury watches. Two women and a man, aged 36 to 60, were charged with pimping and participating an organized criminal group. Property belonging to the suspects worth nearly PLN 1 million was seized to cover future penalties.
Krakow Anti-Corruption Agency (CBA) officers detained a former appellate prosecutor and his daughter on bribery accusations. The investigation currently being supervised by the Masovian Branch of the Department of Organized Crime and Corruption of the National Prosecutor's Office in Warsaw. Yet the “bribery charges” actually came from referring to “non-existent influence in state institutions,” as it appears they had promised to be able to “invoke influence” in courts and prosecutor's offices throughout the country in the years 2021-2023 in Warsaw. According to Polish authorities, the collected evidence “indicates that the former appellate prosecutor created the belief in the existence of such influence in order to obtain favorable decisions in ongoing civil and criminal cases.”
Moreover, “the suspect misled a number of people about being a lawyer or legal advisor and used a law firm run by his daughter for this purpose,” which has resulted in charges of fraud against a number of suspects, who allegedly cost “victims” some PLN 800,000.00.
In November a well-known Tri-City lawyer was detained, along with five others in an ongoing case that has seen CBA officials investigate bribery and fraud. The arrests took place in the Pomeranian and Warmian-Masurian Voivodeships, and the detained now face charges of participation in an organized criminal group linked to money laundering involving the legalization of funds obtained from fraud through the purchase of diamonds for over PLN 5.5 mln, as well as motor vehicles, and through the transfer of funds between bank accounts, and ATM withdrawals. The detained lawyer was also charged with obstructing criminal proceedings by helping a suspect in the case hide—although that suspect was wanted on an arrest warrant.
Romania
Time is of the essence… especially when you run out of it, as is sometimes the case in Romanian cases against well-known politicians. In November, former Romanian MPs Andrei H. and Ioan A. managed to escape justice over illegal forest restitution due to statute of limitations rules. And they were not alone, as a former judge, Lorand O. and another individual Paltin S., also got off as their previous convictions (which had been appealed) were annulled. That’s EUR 300 mln, give or take, in the form of illegally logged forests that just will go unpunished. Who says crime doesn’t pay.
Not I, my friend. No I.
Serbia
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced that he will pay a visit to both Serbia and Kosovo this week in yet another effort to calm tensions between the two states—with the scheduled visit coming as potentially a prelude to still more uncertainty, considering that Serbia will hold Parliamentary elections on Dec. 17.
Both sides have frustrated Brussels, with the EU Parliament also having had recently published a resolution condemning a bizarre ethnic Serb paramilitary raid in Kosovo in September that left one Kosovo police officer dead, with three Serbs also killed.
Kosovo police then published information noting that this was a well-organized raid that included 24 SUVs and a large variety of weapons.
Yet since that time the EU has again seemingly become frustrated with Kosovo and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, who has refused an EU proffered plan that would see Kosovo finally establish a community of Serb municipalities (CSM), which was essentially agreed upon in 2013. Yet Kurti wants recognition by Serbia of Kosovo independence first—which is a no-go in part because Serbian President Aleksandar
Vucic has said this will not happen (and likely has his hands tied by his own constituency), but also once Kosovo is recognized as independent… frankly speaking, Kurti simply will have no obligation to do anything for Serbia or ethnic Serbs in North Kosovo.
And meanwhile, the prodding from Kurti and Kosovo has hardly calmed emotions. On Monday Kurti noted he had written to the OSCE to state that Serbia should request from Kosovo the right to allow Kosovo Serbs with Serbian citizenship vote in upcoming Serbian parliamentary elections. Since 2017 the OSCE has aided in the collection of votes in Kosovo during such elections, but Kosovo put a stop to this… and again, Kurti is turning the screws. In short, if there was a move to stir up Serbian nationalists, this was it.
At the same time there were also claims by the Kosovo side that Serbia had put bases big and small on the border on high alert, which would seemingly signal a coming invasion.
This is seen by most observers as beyond unlikely. That said, Serbia’s Vucic is not unwilling to also ramp up emotions, having highlighted past contacts with Russia and also having met with Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Republika Srpska leader, the highly controversial Milorad Dodik over the weekend in order to “build closer ties” between the two states.
This will not be welcomed by the EU, NATO or the US, which have recoiled at Dodik’s talk of both secession from BiH, as well as his close ties to Russia.
Noteworthy is that on Jan. 5, 2022, the United States Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed sanctions on Dodik under Executive Order 14033 (‘Blocking Property and Suspending Entry Into the United States of Certain Persons Contributing to the Destabilizing Situation in the Western Balkans’). Ans his children have been sanctioned too.
Moreover, April 11, 2022, Dodik and President of Republika Srpska Željka Cvijanović were hit by sanctions by the United Kingdom for attempting to undermine the government of BiH.
Following previous headlines that members of the infamous Group America had been busted, Serbian organized crime prosecutors charged on Nov. 10, 20 persons seen as being key members of the cartel, according to the KRIK investigative unit, as well as the OCCRP.
This includes Zoran J. the probable leader of the gang, which has become more than notorious for not only having smuggled massive amounts of cocaine to Europe, but also for killing government officials, taking chainsaws to enemies, and, according to the OCCRP, “cooperating with intelligence officials.”
Zoran J. had previously been sentenced to 25 years in prison in Per
Slovakia
Newly elected (and repeat) Prime Minister Robert Fico kept his word with Slovakia having stated that if elected, his government would send no ammunition to Ukraine. And just like that the Slovakian government on Nov. 8 rejected a previously agreed-upon deal to send 140 KUB rockets, cannon ammunition and four million rounds of small arms ammunition to support the defense against Russia. This came as little surprise as Fico is as Fico does, and he his SMER party has long been a subject of controversy—even if he always does seem to get re-elected. Yet he’s hardly the only one in the union or in the region or the only party to consistently turn in solid results despite scandals. See GERB in Bulgaria, Fidesz in Hungary, ANO in the Czech Republic, the SNS in Serbia. They do all love EU funds though.
Vory news
Did you think we’d forgotten? No way, Jose (yes, consider that an omen of Spanish content to come), and yes, those wild-and-crazy Vory v Zakone (thieves-in law) are back.
Or really, it seems that they never left.
And they are legion. And their reach is wide.
Yet the reach of the US (and Spain, but stay tuned) is also wide, as in November the crowned thief Vazha G., a.k.a. Natan Y; Kakha K., Teimuraz T, a.k.a. Tava and Davit T., a.k.a. Dato were indicated on extortion in the US, with U.S. Attorney Damian Williams stating:
“As alleged in the indictment, [Vazha G.] a leader within an international criminal syndicate, and his associates threatened their victim with physical violence in order to extract money.
“Thanks to the dedication of the FBI and the prosecutors of this Office, all four defendants now face federal charges,” he added.
he FBI added that from about September 2022 through about August 2023 the above engaged in a “scheme of extortion,” and [Vazha G.] is a leader within an organized criminal group, pointing out that he holds the title of “vor v zakone” or “vor,” which are Russian phrases translated roughly as “thief-in-law,” and which refer to an order of elite criminals from the former Soviet Union who receive tribute from other criminals, offer protection, and use their recognized status as “vor” to adjudicate disputes among lower-level criminals.
The above are all charged with one count of conspiracy to commit extortion and one count of extortion. Each count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Also noteworthy is that in France Vory boss “Sero,” a Georgian, as well as 12 Armenian gang members, were sentenced to prison in France. Sero was sentenced to eight years in prison in late September. He was also fined EUR 80,000 euros and will be permanently banned from France, following the completion of his sentence. This was actually the result of a wider Spanish and French investigation, supported by Europol, that saw 28 individuals charged for “aggravated property crime, racketeering, extortion and money laundering.”
According to Europol, the investigation uncovered that the criminal network was involved in the theft and sale of stolen merchandise, smuggling of tobacco and the laundering of criminal assets. The actual money laundering side of the gang’s activity was mostly carried out in Spain, via car mechanics and a caviar import store in Barcelona.
The climax of the investigation came on June 19-20, and “led to” 38 house searches in France (Clermont-Ferrand, Metz, Lyon, Marseille, Paris) and Spain (Alcasser, Barcelona, Lloret de Mar and Valencia); 28 arrests in France and Spain; the arrest of Sero himself; the seizures include 16 luxury watches (one of them valued at EUR 39,000), eight vehicles, six weapons with ammunition, one bullet-proof vest, two GPS detection devices and more than EUR 60, 000 cash, numerous mobile phones and electronic devices, as well as various pieces of “thieves in law” paraphernalia.
Sero may also be charged with attempting to kill another thief-in-law.
But hey, nobody said the life of a vor was easy.
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons. Public domain.