Police officer Petar Lazovic bragged to an underworld associate about having contacted Vuk Vulević to inform him of his intent to kill those who assaulted Mark Zekić. This conversation occurred just hours after Zekić was attacked in a Podgorica pub during the summer of 2020.

This message was sent on August 5, 2020, shortly after 9 PM, during a chat with Pljevljak. Nikola Spasojević, who resides in Bar, was the recipient.

Zekić is currently on trial at the Podgorica Higher Court, facing charges of leading a criminal organization implicated in a double murder in Veruša. According to special prosecutors, this act was committed in retaliation for the beating he suffered in the City Quarter of Podgorica.

In his communication with Pljevljak, Lazović pointed out that Vladimir Bajčeta was problematic and advised against trying to resolve the situation if “Bajčo” reached out…

“How the hell can this Bajčo attack my good friend, 4 of them, him and Marinko Banović“. A tough guy and a brave outlaw like you. They hit a wall there, brother. The guy is brave; he was with a girl. Vuk told me he was going to kill them,” the then informal leader of the police Special Operational Support Team messaged Pljevlja that night.

On August 6, 2020, “Vijesti” inquired with the Police Directorate about the severe beating of Marko Zekić the previous day in Podgorica, seeking details of the incident and whether Zekić had been questioned for any investigative leads.

The police did not respond to these inquiries, nor did they take any action against the perpetrators, despite Lazović having comprehensive information about the incident and knowledge of a planned revenge.

Two months and ten days after his beating, Zekić is alleged by the Special State Prosecutor’s Office to have killed Nemanja Prelević (28) and his friend Danilo Peković (19) in vengeance.

It emerged that Prelević, Peković, along with Vladimir Bajčeta and Marinko Banović, were involved in the attack on Beranec following the indictment against their group.

After letting Pljevljak know that Vuk had contacted him, Lazović specified that it was Beranac Vuk Vulević, and that Marko Zekić from Berane had been assaulted.

“A friend of all of us, a hajduk… He is inseparable from Vuk V…. A boy,” he wrote.

Lazović further mentioned that Zekić was with a girl and remarked that he would have “left the attackers there” if he had “had a fight”…

“If he had a place to fight back, he would have left them there,” he noted, adding that Zekić is “so honorable” that he didn’t inform anyone and went to Berane “for tools” before heading back.

“He didn’t tell anyone how honest he was; he went to BA to get tools and headed back, someone accidentally called me, and I called Vuk. Vuk called him too, so don’t let Bajčo call you,” he advised his interlocutor.

After Pljevljak reassured him, Lazović wrote:

“I know he was proud that you called him afterwards to show respect, etc…”

Petar Lazović was detained on July 18, 2022, under the orders of the Special State Prosecutor’s Office (SDT), facing charges of aligning the police service with the interests of the Kavač clan.

Since then, efforts have been made to locate his colleague from the service and the clan, Ljubo Milović, who is implicated in several indictments brought forth by the Special State Prosecutor’s Office.

These allegations emerged after the SDT, upon direction from the then-appointed Chief Special Prosecutor Vladimir Novović in May 2022, revitalized a criminal case based on data that Europol provided to the previous leadership of the prosecutor’s office in June 2021.

Previously, special prosecutor Sasa Cadjenovic decided in January 2022 that there were no grounds to commence criminal proceedings against anyone. At that time, the Chief Special Prosecutor was Milivoje Katnic.

Cadjenović was arrested on December 9, 2022, on suspicion of being part of a criminal organization, with Katnić and Petar Lazović’s father, former police official Zoran Lazović, being arrested on December 14, 2022. They too are accused of harboring the members of Kavče.

Authorities in Montenegro, along with several international police agencies, are also on the hunt for Radoj Zvicer, who was recently included in the list of Europe’s most wanted fugitives following an arrest warrant issued in Austria.

DOUBLE MURDER CHARGES

The indictment states that Zekić established a criminal group in 2020, which comprised Miomir Ž. Djukic, Dragan Z. Biletić, Vasilije M. Đukić, Mirceta M. Mihajlović, Nemad M. Miličić, Branislav S. Ivanovic, Goran M. Milašinović, and Dragan Tarić.

The prosecution fortified its case against them with transcripts obtained from the Sky app, as supplied by Europol.

In a recent session at the Podgorica High Court, special prosecutor Miroslav Turković requisitioned a 293-year sentence for the defendants involved in the murders of Prelević and Peković in Veruša on October 17, 2020.

In front of a special panel at the Podgorica High Court, Vesna Kovačević affirmed that the Sky communications among the defendants serve as pivotal evidence indicating Marko Zekić’s participation in the murders while suggesting that he, along with an unidentified accomplice, formed a criminal organization.

Transcripts from the Sky app, purportedly utilized by members of this criminal group, illustrated that the murders of Prelević and Peković were orchestrated post Zekić’s altercation with a 28-year-old man inside a Podgorica pub.

Following this encounter, prosecutors allege, he resolved to kill Prelević and informed other members of his criminal organization about his decision.

“Further communications from August 05, 2020, reveal Zekić announcing his intention to take Nemanja Prelević’s life specifically because of the brawl involving him, Vladimir Bajčeta, and Marinko Banović at the restaurant. His messages indicate that he was armed and inquired where Prelević resided, what vehicle he drove, and the street of the victim’s residence,” the indictment specifies.

On July 18, 2022, Petar Lazović was arrested, handcuffed, by order of the Special State Prosecutor’s Office (SDT), under the claim of subjugating the police service to Kavač clan interests. Since then, law enforcement has also been in pursuit of his fellow officer and clan member, Ljubo Milović, implicated in various indictments by the Special State Prosecutor’s Office.

“Politically Ordered Persecution”

Lazović recently refuted in the Higher Court of Podgorica the claims of being part of Radoje Zvicer’s criminal organization, insisting that the allegations against him are framed to politically tarnish his family’s reputation.

“This operation is a politically motivated witch hunt. My family has been incorrectly targeted,” he stated.

Lazović emphasized his lifelong dedication to ensuring the safety of Montenegro.

“I do not acknowledge any of the crimes attributed to me in the fabricated indictment. This trial merely serves as a facade for ordered political defamation. My family has been scapegoated in this process. Neither the court nor the prosecution took my arguments and facts into consideration,” Lazović remarked at the time.

Beranac Fleeing from “The General”…

Vulević is listed among the suspects involved in international cocaine trafficking, with the Special State Prosecutor’s Office prosecuting under Operation “General”…

The fugitive from Beranec is reported by the SDT to have participated in the smuggling of approximately 2.5 tons of cocaine from South America to Europe and Australia.

In a collaborative international effort, investigators from the SDT and the Special Police Department (SPO) have been working closely over several months with the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Australian Federal Police (AFP).

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