Tobacco.org

• Kertes enters plea in Tobacco Mafia trial 

The trial of an organized cigarette smuggling group continued today at the Special Organized Crime Court in Belgrade.

The members of the network, allegedly led by Stanko Subotić, are charged for having illegally imported cigarettes to Serbia during the 1990s.

There has been no official explanation yet regarding the Russian authorities’ recent rejection of a request to extradite Subotić, held in Moscow since April and released last week, the Ministry of Justice said today. . . .

The trial continued this morning with former Milošević-era Federal Customs chief Mihalj Kertes entering his plea.

Kertes rejected all charges against him and said that "the only correct thing in the entire indictment" was his name.

"The indictment says that I let trucks [loaded with cigarettes] through for three gangs, but it doesn’t say that I took my share. That’s impossible. Why would I allow the trucks to enter the country and not take my share? The prosecutor is trying to make me look like an imbecile . . .

Kertes was indicted for his alleged membership in a criminal gang led by Mirjana Marković, and Marko Milošević – the wife and son of Slobodan Milošević. . . .

The former customs chief also repeated the defense he used at his other trials, saying that "his end began" after he was appointed to the job, and after he managed to suppress smuggling and increase the customs revenues mulitfold in 1994.

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Serbia to mark World No Tobacco Day 

BELGRADE -- Today is World No Tobacco Day, marked every year around the globe on May 31.

According to statistics, almost one in two men and one in three women smoke in Serbia. . . .

In Serbia, much emphasis is placed on legal regulations intended to fight the habit, while at the same time, losing sight of the fact that these regulations have their limits linked to the interests of society in terms of revenue from the manufacture and sale of tobacco.

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Suspected Tobacco Mafia mastermind arrested 

Stanko Subotić, one of the key suspects in the 1990s cigarette smuggling case, has been arrested in Moscow.

Serbian police, MUP, today confirmed the news, and added that Subotić is now in detention pending his extradition to Serbia.

Subotić, a Serbian businessman, is charged with organizing a criminal group that in 1995 and 1996 illegally imported and sold cigarettes in the Serbian market.

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Tobacco Mafia trial could be postponed 

BELGRADE -- The trial of Stanko Subotić and others suspected of participating in the cigarette smuggling ring of the 1990s, could be delayed.

Subotić was arrested in Moscow yesterday. The Special Sector of the Belgrade District Court stated that the trial, scheduled to begin on May 19, could be pushed back until Subotić is extradited.

The Special Organized Crimes Court stated that the trial, scheduled to begin on May 19, could be pushed back until Subotić is extradited.

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Tobacco Mafia defendant pleads not guilty 

BELGRADE -- Sinisˇa Stojcˇic´, charged with illegally importing and selling cigarettes in the 1990s, yesterday pled not guilty.

He told the Special Organized Crime Department of the Belgrade District Court that it is impossible that his brother, former deputy interior minister Radovan Stojcˇic´, a.k.a. Badzˇa, "who fought against crime, could have organized a criminal group", the so-called Tobacco Mafia.

Sojcˇic´ said that the charges are a "product of hate against his brother and his business success".

He added his brother, a high-ranking MUP commander during the Milosˇevic´ regime, could not have smuggled and sold cigarettes illegally in 1997, because he was killed in April 1997. . . .

A group of nine people is being charged for illegally importing and selling cigarettes on the territory of Serbia in 1997, costing the state about USD 2mn.

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• PM's testimony on smuggling and mafia links 'shameful' say opposition leaders 

The testimony by Montenegro's prime minister Milo Djukanovic (photo) on cigarette smuggling before Italian prosecutors in the southern Italian city of Bari was a shame for the country, opposition leaders said on Monday.

Djukanovic, who has been considered the absolute political leader of Montenegro for the past eighteen years, surprisingly appeared before Bari prosecutors last Friday, answering their questions for more than six hours. . . .

Djukanovic is being investigated for a multimillion-dollar cigarette smuggling operation to Italy and for offering free access and shelter to Italian mafia members in Montenegro ports between 1994 and 2002.

He has repeatedly denied the charges and the rumours that he was being investigated. . . .

Nebojsa Medojevic, the leader of the main opposition party, the Movement for Changes, said Djukanovic had shamed Montenegro by refusing to answer all of the 80 questions put by Bari prosecutors, invoking diplomatic immunity.

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Cigarette smugglers caught at Bulgarian Greek border  

Tens of thousands of cigarettes were seized at the Kulata border crossing between Bulgaria and Greece on January 31.

Nikolai Shoushkov, head of customs at the border crossing, said the cigarettes were found in a car with a Bulgarian registration.

The cigarettes were found in the luggage and in hidden compartments in the car, Focus news agency quoted Shoushkov as saying.

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• Charges brought against Tobacco Mafia 

The Special Prosecution has announced that it has launched proceedings against the so-called Tobacco Mafia.

The prosecution has pressed charges relating to abuse of authority and cigarette smuggling against nine suspects - Siniša Stoj?i?, Dejan Milenovi?, Mihajl Kertes, Petar Milenkovi?, Nebojša Nikoli?, Stojan Miši?, Radisav Gvozdenovi?, Nenad Živadinovi? and Zdravko Hristov.

The inquiry determined that evidence existed that the group, whose ringleaders were Stoj?i? and his brother Radovan who was killed in 1997, by using the business structure of the R5 company in Niš owned by Siniša, and with the assistance of Customs officials and staff, allowed lorries carrying undeclared cigarettes to pass through the frontier unhindered.

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Indictment issued for cigarette smuggling 

The Organized Crime Prosecutor’s Office has indicted Stanko Subotić for involvement in cigarette smuggling activities.

Fourteen other people have been indicted along with Subotić, the controversial Geneva-based Serbian businessman.

The indictment states that the group illegally earned DM 56mn, together with some USD 8mn, during the 1990s.

Former Customs chief Mihalj Kertes is among the indicted. Prosecution spokesman Tomo Zorić said that the investigation into this case had begun six months ago. . . .

Those indicted include Stanko Subotić, Mihalj Kertes, Nikola Milošević, Milan Ranković, Ivan Krčmaričić, Jovica Ranđelović, Stevan Banović, Nebojša Nikolić, Milan Milanović, Drago Dodevski, Ivana Olujić, Miodrag Zavišić, Milovan Popivoda, Miroslav Pešić and Luka Nenadić.

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Bulgarian Police Bust Cigarette Smuggling Ring 

Bulgaria's border police busted on Saturday a cigarette smuggling ring at Oltomantzi on the border with Serbia, in the Kyustendil region in western Bulgaria.

Two Bulgarian nationals were arrested on charges of organising the smuggling on the Bulgarian side of the border, together with nearly 37,000 cigarette packs, worth some BGN 73 000 on the Bulgarian market.

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Eve-Ann Prentice obituary  

Her death robs British journalism of a doughty, principled and brave reporter, whose own long fight against cancer always came second to her insistence on pursuing a story to the end. . . .

In one of her last dispatches, in March last year, she wrote an account of her six-hour meeting with him in his prison cell. She had smuggled in two croissants, and Milosevic, courteous but pale and clearly in poor health, offered her in return one of his Davidoff cigarettes. . . .

her fairness, balance and refusal to be a propaganda outlet won her widespread respect: her disappearance after the Nato attack was front-page news.

Eve-Ann Page was born in 1952 . . .

impressing her colleagues with her passion for the plight of farm labourers in tied cottages, her dedication to smoking and her ability to drink a pint of Elgood's bitter in four and a half seconds. . . .

She died of cancer on September 20, 2007, aged 55

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Parliament ratifies CEFTA Agreement, adopts amendments to laws on citizenship, tobacco 

Parliament also adopted amendments to the Law on tobacco which put an end to the previously compulsory tobacco-purchase system and bring excise on home and imported tobacco to the same level.

The Law on tobacco has thus been harmonised with regulations of the EU and the World Trade Organisation and the CEFTA agreement.

The law aims at enabling equal and stable conditions for developing domestic tobacco industry, increasing productivity and exporting domestic processed tobacco and tobacco products.

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Prosecution probes tobacco smuggling 

-- The Special Organized Crime Prosecution launched an investigation into a tobacco smuggling ring led by Anton Stanaj.

Stanaj was arrested at Belgrade Airport on September 13, while waiting to board a flight to Podgorica.

Interior Minister Dragan Jo�i� confirmed at the time that five more persons suspected of belonging to the same group had been apprehended, including Pajo Juri�, Stevan Stevanovi�, Erik Karadzon, Slavisa Jurisi� i Sre�ko Miranovi� . . .

Joćić explained that cigarettes had been smuggled from China, Croatia and Dubai, transferred via the ports of Bar in Montenegro, Bari in Italy and Rijeka in Croatia to reach Serbia and Hungary.

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Possibilities for promotion of domestic tobacco growing and increase of exports  

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic spoke today with representatives of all tobacco companies with production capacities in Serbia on the future of the tobacco industry and its position in the context of signing Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) and Central European Free Trade Association (CEFTA). . . .

The meeting was attended by representatives of Philip Morris, British American Tobacco (BAT), Japan Tobacco International (JTI), Monus and representatives of the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management. (Economy, August 31.)

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• No one spared in cigarette smuggling case 

BELGRADE -- Special Prosecutor Slobodan Radovanović said that no one will be spared in the cigarette smuggling investigation.

Everyone who was involved and who people claim was involved in smuggling tobacco will be investigated, including Delta Holding owner Miroslav Mišković, Radovanović said.

“If there is evidence against Mišković, he will be included in the action. I repeat, only if there is evidence. Everyone is being questioned, I did not leave anyone out, but I cannot announce investigations,” Radovanović told Danas.

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