Links between drug-trafficking criminal groups from Serbia and Venezuela

Serbian criminal groups have been identified by international organizations such as EUROPOL and INTERPOL as key actors in cocaine trafficking from Latin American countries to Europe

Organized criminal groups from the Balkans, particularly from Serbia, have established links in Venezuela. Evidence of these connections can be found in cases involving cocaine seizures, arrests, and court proceedings that have either been completed or remain ongoing.

These groups have been identified by international organizations such as EUROPOL and INTERPOL as key actors in cocaine trafficking from Latin American countries to Europe.

Venezuela has come into international focus as a transit state for cocaine trafficking following reports of the arrest of the ousted leader, Nicolás Maduro, by United States forces in early January.

Maduro is expected to face trial in the United States based on an indictment accusing him of overseeing a cocaine trafficking network that cooperated with violent groups, including the Mexican Sinaloa and Zetas cartels, Colombia’s leftist FARC rebels, and the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. At the first preliminary hearing held in a New York court, Maduro denied the charges.

As Saša Djordjević from the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) points out, Venezuela is important for cocaine smuggling involving criminal networks from the Western Balkans because it represents a “strategic outbound corridor from Latin America to the Atlantic.” From there, most cocaine shipments are transported either directly to Europe or via West Africa.

According to Djordjević, for criminal groups from the Balkans, Venezuela is important but not the primary destination for trafficking cocaine from Latin America to Europe. In this respect, countries such as Colombia and Brazil are far more significant, with Ecuador also gaining importance in recent years.

Djorgjević argues that the arrest of Maduro and United States actions against criminal groups involved in cocaine trafficking are unlikely to have a substantial impact on these networks, whose members originate from Balkan countries.

“Given that these groups have always been flexible, I assume that groups that used Venezuela will find alternative routes in countries where, in my view, much more important bases exist,” he assesses.

Links between Balkan criminal groups and Venezuela were revealed through the seizure of cocaine near the coast of Aruba, close to Venezuela, in February 2020.

In that case, the Dutch navy intercepted the ship Aressa, which had previously been anchored in the Venezuelan port of Guaranao. Five tons of cocaine were seized on board.

During the operation, 11 Montenegrin citizens who were members of the ship’s crew were arrested. According to Montenegro’s Police Directorate, the seizure in Aruba was the result of cooperation between Montenegro, the United Kingdom, Serbia, and the Netherlands.

Before a court in Aruba, the Montenegrin nationals were sentenced in March 2021 to prison terms ranging from nine to 15 years.

EUROPOL linked the cocaine seized in Aruba to Serbian national Miroslav Starčevič, who was arrested in May 2023 together with 12 other individuals. They are accused by Serbian authorities of involvement in international drug trafficking. As confirmed by the High Court in Belgrade, the trial against this group is nearing its conclusion.

Serbian police have described Starčevič as the leader of “the largest criminal organization for drug trafficking from the Balkans” uncovered with EUROPOL’s assistance.

According to Serbian police, the cartel led by Starčevič is responsible for shipments of multiple tons of cocaine that reached Europe from Colombia, Brazil, and Ecuador, as well as via West Africa. In reports published by GI-TOC, Starčevič’s group is linked to the Kavač clan, a criminal organization originating from Montenegro.

The Kavač and Škalar clans originate from Montenegro. They are two armed clans, and since their clashes began in 2014, more than 60 people have been killed. It remains unclear whether, and to what extent, criminal groups whose members originate from Serbia and Montenegro are still involved in cocaine trafficking linked to Venezuela.

EUROPOL has stated that it does not have direct cooperation with Venezuela; consequently, data on the involvement of Balkan criminal groups are obtained indirectly through the police authorities of other countries.

Criminal groups from Western Balkan countries are described in reports by international agencies such as EUROPOL and INTERPOL as important actors in cocaine trafficking from Latin America, primarily toward Western European countries.

According to GI-TOC reports, these groups have built their position over several decades, mainly through direct links with cocaine-producing countries and distribution networks.

What makes Venezuela particularly attractive is the use of maritime and air transport for cocaine shipments departing from the country.

“These are small aircraft, for which control and monitoring are much lower than for commercial flights,” Djordjević explains.

Cocaine is not produced in Venezuela, however, according to reports by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the country is considered one of the main transit states for cocaine, which is produced primarily in Colombia and subsequently distributed to the United States and Europe.

Strong indications of the involvement of parts of the Venezuelan state apparatus in criminal activities emerge from the findings of the Global Organized Crime Index, according to which Venezuela ranks among the top ten percent of countries worldwide in terms of the influence of criminal actors.

Annual reports for this index are published by GI-TOC, a Geneva-based non-governmental organization. In the latest report, published in November 2025, it states that Colombian guerrilla groups “manage supply chains in cooperation with corrupt Venezuelan officials.”

“The groups have integrated into local communities, often manipulating young people to work for them under the guise of legitimate employment, and have taken control of local justice systems and governance structures,” the report notes.

It further adds that the symbiotic relationship between Colombian guerrilla groups and Venezuelan state officials has facilitated their operations, resulting in “minimal violence but significant control over border regions.” /Radio Free Europe/