In a statement, the PJ said that in the last year and a half, seven people of different nationalities were arrested and 2,200 kilos of cocaine, a large amount of money, properties, vehicles and other objects were seized.

Operation Opatija, in which the PJ participated together with authorities from Brazil, Croatia, France, Poland, Spain, Slovenia, the United States and Serbia, began in January 2022.

The criminal structure operated in several countries and was dismantled with the support of the Maritime Analysis and Operations Center - Narcotics (MAOC-N) and the coordination of Europol.

According to a note from Interpol, on August 24, 15 house searches were carried out, six arrests were made and 2.7 tons of cocaine, high-end vehicles, luxury watches and more than 550,000 euros in cash were seized.

A large number of bank accounts and properties were blocked during the financial investigation.

In the note, Interpol states that investigators identified a Serbian citizen as one of the main organizers of the criminal network.

In 2022, the Serbian authorities “began an investigation into this drug cartel, which is believed to be involved in large-scale trafficking of cocaine from South America to the EU, particularly Brazil”, says the PJ in the note.

The operation involved other countries on the European continent, including Portugal, which participated in surveillance and collection of information relevant to the outcome of the operation.