Belgrade – A Serbian criminal group has been busted after authorities discovered a 30-meter-long tunnel leading to the warehouses of the Supreme Court in Montenegro. The group aimed to steal weapons and other judicial evidence, according to the government of Montenegro.
Minister of the Interior, Filip Adzic, announced in a press conference that the search and capture of four Serbian citizens, accused of digging the tunnel, have been identified and ordered. The Montenegrin government has already requested their extradition from Serbia. The individuals are facing charges of criminal association, aggravated robbery, and obstruction of evidence against the Supreme Court and the State.
Adzic also revealed that there are still seven other accomplices involved in the operation, including a court employee, who have yet to be identified. While the police have obtained some leads on those responsible for ordering the operation, further details were not disclosed.
The discovery of the tunnel, which measured approximately 30 meters in length and one meter in height, occurred on September 11 when court staff noticed an unusual jumble of documentation. The tunnel, which was dug from a rented apartment in the center of the Montenegrin capital, was concealed behind a shelf of documents.
The stolen items include 19 weapons and various judicial evidence from at least five cases. However, it is challenging to ascertain the exact extent of the missing materials as the warehouse contained documents from around 100,000 cases, in addition to nine tons of narcotics, 400 weapons, as well as ammunition and explosives.
Authorities believe that the criminal group had likely dug the tunnel during August when most employees were on vacation. Investigations are ongoing as law enforcement works towards apprehending all involved individuals and recovering the stolen evidence and weapons.