The trial of defendant Milovan Burić and other co-defendants for cocaine trafficking has been rescheduled to July 16th at the Higher Court in Podgorica.

The defense received a CD containing the edited Sky correspondence on Friday, but the defendants did not receive this evidence. As there was insufficient time for the defense to prepare, the trial was postponed to facilitate their review.

During the last main trial hearing on June 12, the court instructed the SDT to prepare the Sky correspondence within eight days for presentation at the main hearing.

The accused include Milovan D. Burić, known as Ćićo from Bar, Zoran R. Kovačević from Bar, an employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Forest Service of the Regional Center South Bar, Nenad M. Novović, known as Neno, Rade D. Vojvodić from Bar, Nedeljko A. Brkan from Bar, and Zoran K. Drešić from Bar.

All defendants previously presented their defenses during the court session in February, denying the allegations stated in the special prosecutor’s indictment.

The special state prosecutor’s indictment alleges that an individual using the PINs IMYXQ9, X1E4AE, and UM3GRZ, as well as the nicknames “Bolivar,” “GIL,” and “YAKDLLS” on the encrypted SKY ECC application during September 2020, established and organized a criminal organization that operated until March 2021 across Montenegro, Serbia, Belgium, Australia, Spain, Suriname, and international waters. The organization aimed to commit offenses related to unauthorized production, possession, and trafficking of narcotic drugs, with the defendants serving as members, alongside several unidentified individuals.

As a result, defendants Milovan Burić, Zoran Kovačević, Zoran Drešić, Nenad Novović, Nedeljko Brkan, and Rade Vojvodić are charged with forming a criminal organization under Article 401a, paragraph 2, in conjunction with paragraphs 1 and 6 of the Criminal Code of Montenegro.

In executing their criminal plan, defendants Zoran Kovačević, Milovan Burić, Zoran Drešić, Nenad Novović, Nedeljko Brkan, and Rade Vojvodić, along with an unidentified sailor aboard the ship “MSC JOANNA,” were arrested between September and December 9, transporting drugs from the port of Antwerp in Belgium to near Sydney, Australia.

Defendant Zoran Kovačević, utilizing his position as an official of the Police Administration of Montenegro, collaborated in committing the offense and significantly contributed to the illegal transportation of 150 kilograms of cocaine and 59 kilograms of methamphetamine for sale.

The defendants acted as co-perpetrators. Zoran Kovačević is specifically charged with unauthorized production, possession, and distribution of narcotic drugs under Article 300, paragraph 4 in conjunction with paragraph 1 and Article 23, paragraph 2 of the Criminal Code of Montenegro, while Milovan Burić, Zoran Drešić, Nenad Novović, Nedeljko Brkan, and Rade Vojvodić face charges under Article 300, paragraph 1 in conjunction with Article 23, paragraph 2 of the same code.

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