The Serbian clan leader was apprehended in Barcelona on 18th October, followed by the arrest of his lieutenant on 22nd October.
Both were wanted for charges including murder, attempted murder and kidnapping of rival gang members in Serbia, Austria, Germany and Spain.
The clan leader was considered one of Europe’s most wanted and dangerous fugitives.
The ” VračarClan”, a sub-clan of the “Kavač” one, has been involved in a violent feud with the rival “” since 2014, resulting in over 60 deaths. This conflict began following the seizure of a large cocaine shipment at the Port of Valencia.
Europol played a key role in the operation, focusing on intelligence development and operational support. Its experts collaborated with Austrian, German, and Serbian authorities to analyse the suspects’ encrypted communications, leading to their identification and eventual capture.
As part of this effort, Serbian police officers were deployed to Europol in 2021 to work on these targets.
In the past month, Europol, with the support of the European Network of Fugitive Active Search Teams (ENFAST), coordinated the efforts of law enforcement agencies in Austria, Germany, Slovenia, Spain, Croatia, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, which ultimately led to the arrests.
Both suspects now face extradition and are expected to be prosecuted for their involvement in several high-profile murders.
