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mariacallous · 4 months ago

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Serbian prosecutors have charged 19 people including two high profile defendants in relation to two execution-style gun attacks carried out in Greece in 2020.

Those indicted for the shootings, which left four dead, include Darko Saric, a Serbian citizen born in Montenegro previously convicted of drug trafficking, and Veljko Belivuk, leader of the Janjicari, [Janissaries] a notorious so-called football fan group with links to state officials and the security guard industry. Both are currently on trial for multiple criminal acts.

“The defendants Veljko Belivuk and Darko Saric, as well as Radoje Zvicer, a citizen of the Republic of Montenegro against whom proceedings are being conducted in Greece for these criminal acts, have been identified as organisers”, Serbia’s Prosecutor Office for Organised Crime said in press release on Thursday. Seven people will be charged in absentia as part of the indictment, a joint investigation carried out by judicial authorities in Serbia and Greece.

In July 2020, according to Greek police, two Montenegrins were killed in a villa in Halikouna Beach on the island of Corfu. The victims, Alan Kozar and Damir Hadzic, had multiple gunshot wounds. During the autopsy, 32 shell casings, seven fireballs and two metal fragments were collected. Greek police told BIRN in March they arrested one Albanian citizen over alleged involvement in the crime.

In January 2020 another two Montenegrin citizens, Stevan Stamatovic and Igor Dedovic, both 43, were shot dead with more than 20 bullets in front of children while dining at a well-known Greek tavern in Athens.

Both murders are suspected to be part of a bloody war between two notorious Montenegrin gangs, the Kavac and Skaljari, which has left around 100 people dead across Europe in the past decade. Saric, Belivuk and Zvicer are suspected to be part of the Kavac clan.

Saric is currently on trial in Serbia together with 14 others accused of overseeing a group that plotted to kill a witness involved in a case against the convicted drug trafficker and pressured police officers for confidential information.

In 2022, Saric was sentenced to 14 years on an earlier charge of smuggling 5.7 tons of cocaine from South America to Western Europe during 2008 and 2009. There is also an ongoing trial against him for laundering at least 20 million euros acquired through the sale of narcotics.

Veljko Belivuk is known as “Velja Nevolja” (“Velja the Trouble”), Together with other Janjicari members, he is standing trial for multiple criminal acts, including aggravated murder, kidnapping, illicit possession of weapons and explosives and drug trafficking.

Radoje Zvicer is one of the alleged heads of the Kavac drug gang, indicted for creating a criminal organisation and for murdering two members of the rival Skaljari drug gang.

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roundtheworldrambles · 7 years ago

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Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Day 50 - Dubai

Flying out of Athens, I arrived in Dubai in the wee hours of the morning. My first time flying with Emirates, I couldn’t help but feel a bit glamorous - with multiple menu options, metal cutlery and unlimited drinks! (I think it was a relative feeling, doesn’t take much for a backpacker to feel fancy…) I sat between two exuberant Greeks - a bartender from Corfu and a well-travelled entrepreneur from Kissamos. Our row has quite a bit of fun - taking advantage of the open bar - with the two of them determined to give me an education on “all things Greek”. As they frequently slipped between Greek and English , I understood about half our conversation and was left - sometimes with hilarious misunderstanding - to fill in the blanks. It was definitely the most fun I have had on a flight so far!

Approaching Dubai airport, the night lights of the city were suddenly visible, cropping next to the dark desert which surrounds the city. Upon my arrival, the massive airport quickly met many of the expectations I already had about Dubai: it was equally grand, modern, and efficient! I was in and out of customs in about 10 seconds flat, quickly collected my pack, and was in a taxi enroute to the city less than 30 minutes after landing. I immediately felt safe travelling in the Emirates - with my friendly taxi driver chatting away with me in English, pointing out landmarks along our route. The glittering Burj Khalifa was quickly visible as we sped along the web of highways into the city. I arrived at Libby’s very early in the morning. My host for the next two days and a long-time friend of a close Vancouver girlfriend - Libby had generously offered to let me crash at her place in Citywalk!

Day 51

Dubai was well over 30 degrees on my first day - thank goodness for Libby’s air-conditioned apartment! According to my host, this temperature was actually considered to be “mild” for Dubai, and I had picked a good time to visit. Libby and I started our day in the historic Dubai Creek area. This natural saltwater creek is connected to the Persian gulf and separates two major districts, Bur Dubai and Deira.

This area is considered to be the older, traditional part of Dubai - with older style buildings, numerous souks (markets), and traditional abra boats shuttling people back and forth across the water. The Creek strongly contrasts the modern, shiny side of the city Dubai is known for, and it was very interesting to get a sense of the city’s origins. The Creek was historically used as a safe harbour for boats sailing in the Gulf, and was dredged and expanded to accommodate larger ships in the 1950s. This was a major step which supported the expansion of trade, in turn allowing the city to rapidly grow and modernize. This larger port was of particular importance once oil was discovered in the 1960s, jumpstarting the modern prosperity of the Emirates.

Al Fahidi Fort and Dubai Museum

Libby, my terrific tour guide, first took me to the Dubai Museum. Situated in the converted Al Fahidi Fort, the museum gave a great snapshot into early life in the Gulf country - from early coastal and desert life, to modern trade and development. I learned about early pearl diving in the Arabian Gulf, along with the rich shipbuilding trade. The museum was partially underground, which was a helpful way to beat the blistering desert heat.

We walked through the nearby souk (market) area of the Creek, which was reminiscent of the medinas in Morocco - although much smaller and cleaner. Many vendors still approached us to make sales (often trying to get our attention by draping a scarf across our shoulders) but overall Dubai’s market atmosphere was much calmer in comparison to Fes and Marrakech. We sampled amazing dates, drank fresh pomegranate juice and explored the stalls - from traditional brass lighting to tea shops. Libby is a long-time Middle-East resident, and it was quite impressive navigating the souks with her - not to mention observing her bartering skills! We were periodically approached by hawkers selling counterfeit designer items, who would try to take us to their storerooms tucked along side streets. A simple “no thank you” was rarely taken at face value in the souk - vendors would often come back to us two or three times with a different angle, still hopeful to make a sale.

Boats along the Dubai Creek

Libby and I hopped on an Abra boat to cross the Creek from Bur Dubai to Deira. There are dozens of these traditional wooden vessels along the water, ferrying people back and forth. On the Deira side of the Creek is an incredible gold souk (market), with hundreds of gold vendors and jewellery traders. A maze of covered walkways, the storefronts display countless gold pieces ranging from simple necklaces to massive, opulent breastplates and crowns. The sheer amount of gold was a visually overwhelming - and hard to imagine who would purchase some of the larger pieces. Apparently at any given time, there is over 10 tons of gold in the souk!

Gold Souk in Deira

Returning to Bur Dubai by abra boat, Libby and I went to the Make Market, a café/gallery exhibiting the work of local UAE artists. We toured the exhibits and tried camel milk ice cream (for the record, it’s delicious). Following the gallery, we continued onwards to the Arabian Tea House for a late lunch. Hidden from the busy streets in a canopied courtyard oasis, the tea house served us delicious Middle-eastern cuisine: including hummus, falafel, salad and baba ganoush.

Arabian Tea House

We hopped in an Uber to return to Libby’s place in Citywalk in the early evening. I quickly realized that Dubai is a city designed for cars, not so much pedestrians! It is unusual for people to walk to get around, and those who do are often met with incredulous looks.

In the evening we met up with Tariq, a mutual friend who I had gone to Western with. Tariq is from Dubai, and it had been about 6 years since I had last seen him! Libby, Tariq and I all caught up over shisha and glass of wine at Chival, a modern courtyard patio in Citywalk. Tariq took us to Al Mallah for dinner, one of his favourite local food spots in the city - where I was introduced to more Arabic cuisine, including cheese malash, spinach fatayar, falafel, and of course - chicken shawarma! It was wonderful catching up with Tariq, and amazing how it felt no time had passed. It was fascinating hearing him talk about his work in Dubai at his family’s textile business, as well as about how much Dubai has changed over the past 10 years.

Day 51 - Dubai

I woke up early to catch the sunrise over the central business district from the rooftop of Libby’s villa home. It was an amazing, quiet moment in the busy city, watching the dusty desert sun come up behind the dark skyscrapers. The sheer scale of development was quite impressive in the early morning light.

Sunrise over the central business district in Dubai

On my second day in Dubai, I headed to see the modern side of the city. My first stop was the Dubai Mall, next to the Burj Khalifa - the tallest building in the world. There are elaborately designed fountains surrounding the mall, where choreographed water, music and light shows takes place. Approaching the mall entrance, I was thrilled to be greeted by a familiar sight - a Tim Hortons! I had a very Canadian breakfast of coffee, a cream cheese bagel, and Timbits - with a bonus view of the Burj Khalifa from my patio table.

View of the Burj Khalifa from Tim Horton’s!

Dubai Mall itself is an incredible feat of development - one of the largest malls in the world, it hosts over 1200 stores, an aquarium, indoor theme park, and ice rink. It was a bit of an odd contrast to see sharks swimming in a multi-storey tank, directly next to the shops!

I continued through the mall to the entrance of the Burj Khalifa skyscraper, where I rode an elevator up to the Sky Deck. At the 148th floor, this observation deck is the highest level a visitor can go to. The Burj Khalifa has held the record for the tallest building in the world since 2008, and has 163 floors. Standing at 829.8 metres, it far surpasses other famous skyscrapers such as Shanghai Tower, Taipei 101 and the CN Tower.

View from the Sky Deck

From the Sky Deck, I had a jaw-dropping, 360 degree view of the city below. Wind whistled by the observation deck, causing a slight swaying sensation. The dry landscape surrounding Dubai was clearly visible from above, scattered with other skyscrapers far below. The contrast between the modern development and distant desert was immediately quite striking. With the visible lack of greenery and natural sources of freshwater around the city, it was very impressive to me that Dubai has sustained development at such a rapid pace. I later learned that Dubai has one of the largest desalination plants in the world, providing the city with its freshwater - just one example of how modern technology and innovation has been essential to counteract the challenging desert climate.

View of the Dancing Fountains from the Sky Deck!

148 stories down and back on ground, I boarded a metro train connecting Dubai Mall to Mall of the Emirates. Another massive shopping facility, I was most intrigued by the Mall’s infamous indoor ski hill. Approaching the mall by train, the massive horizontal bubble housing Ski Dubai could be seen in the distance. The indoor ski hill was fascinating to see - with many visitors to the hill wearing traditional Middle-eastern clothing, such as abayas (long black cloaks worn by women) or kanduras (long white robes worn by men) along with snow boots and parka-style jackets!

Ski Dubai

I hailed a cab from the Mall of the Emirates to the nearby Madinat Jumeirah, a spectacular resort area which houses several luxurious Arabian Hotels. I walked along the meandering waterway towards the beach, passing countless open air seating areas, restaurants and shisha bars. As a modern Islamic city, alcohol restrictions in Dubai are somewhat more relaxed than other countries in the region. However, there continue to be numerous regulations in place: although tourists and locals alike are able to purchase drinks at certain hotels, restaurants and bars, only holders of government-issued alcohol licenses are able to purchase bottles of alcohol in-store.

As I approached the public beach, the dramatic sail-like silhouette of the Burj el-Arab appeared in the distance. Sometimes informally called “the world’s only 7-star hotel”, this impressive 5-star hotel is built on an artificial island just offshore. Private beaches and pool areas surround the nearby mainland, with wafting sounds of tropical house music and drum performances. I wandered along the crowded beach boardwalk, just as the hazy red sun was setting behind the Burj el-Arab.

Catching the hazy sunset behind the Burj el-Arab

There are numerous public beaches along this stretch of Dubai, with a cosmopolitan mix of people: ex-pats in bathing suits, groups of chattering young women in beautifully decorated abayas, families pushing strollers, and enthusiastic volleyball players mid-game. It was fascinating seeing the diverse mix of people along the boardwalk - and as the sun went down (and the temperature became more bearable!) more and more people seemed to arrive. The evening call to prayer drifted over the sand as I sat and watched the kite-surfers offshore, catching the final waves of the day on the Persian Gulf.

I finished my final day in Dubai at a delicious vegan food truck at Kite Beach, where. I quickly befriended the owner, a Columbian girl about my age. We chatted over food on the beach, swapping stories about our countries and travels. After several failed attempts to jump-start her car, we shared a cab back to the city - where I began to pack up for my 3:00am flight to Beijing, China!

Overall, Dubai was a fascinating city and I wish I had a few more days in the Emirates - particularly to explore Abu-Dhabi! Although I was only there for two short days, I could see that Dubai is a city that is constantly shifting and evolving. It is where ancient traditions meet globalization and modern development, where technology and Mother Nature are in a constant tug-of-war, and where people and cultural groups from all over the world come to live and work together. I’m certain that there were many other sides of Dubai which I did not see - and I am looking forward to returning in the future. Given the current speed of development, it will be incredible to see how much Dubai will continue to shift and evolve in the coming years.

#Dubai

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