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Six former Yugoslavian republics committed to participate in the fight against trafficking of drugs in the Balkan route, an agreement was reached 12.02. in Zagreb. Representatives of the Slovenian, Croatian, Serbia, BiH, Macedonia and Montenegro participated in the ministerial conference called “Balkan route - yesterday, today and tomorrow”.

The conference participants were particularly committed to strengthen the fight against trafficking in the Balkan drug route leading through the territory of the countries of former Yugoslavia, which, according to security experts in Europe, 80 percent of the heroin came from Afghanistan and Pakistan. Balkan route, except heroin trade is full of weapons, explosives and people. Slovenia has the role of transit, but it is also a targeted state, according to RTV Slo.

On the conference the participants agreed that this issue is the obligation of all states, tate they fight not only against organized crime, but to also fight against the acquisition of property by individuals who have acquired criminal activity. Wit this vision the countries will need to exchange information and improve the co-operation of the police and prosecutors in the region. Conference participants emphasized that the fight against organized crime should be immune to politics.

Serbian Minister of Internal Affaires Ivica Dacic commended that the police of the several countries on the basis of information seized from Serbian counterparts about half past four tons of cocaine that arrived from South America. Croatian Minister of Internal Affaires Tomislav Karamarko mentioned the arrest of suspects for the murder of Ivo Pukanic as an example of good cooperation.

Vesna Vidakovic