Saric pleads not guilty

BELGRADE - The most wanted drug lord from the Balkans, Darko Saric, appeared for the first time before the Special Court in Belgrade on Monday and denied that he, together with members of his ring, organized the trafficking of a total of 5.7 tons of cocaine from Latin America to Western Europe.

Darko Saric was arrested in a joint police operation of Serbia and Montenegro on March 18.

Saric pleaded not guilty on all counts of the indictments.

"That is all one big lie," he said, adding that “this is all a fabrication by the former regime that wants to cover up its own misdeeds.”

"I did not do anything wrong in this country." the accused said.

Saric said that he "cooperated with many influential people in this country" and wondered "why they are still where they are, and I am here."

Together with Saric, one of his associates, Nikola Dimitrijevic, will also appear before the court on Monday. He is also accused of trafficking in cocaine from Brazil.

Although the six combined indictments accuse a total of 37 members of the Saric gang, only Saric, Dimitrijevic and eight other members are in the dock, 14 are still at large, nine pleaded guilty, and three were granted witness-collaborator status.

In April 2013, a joint trial to the Saric gang began on six counts of the indictment for the trafficking of a total of 5.7 tons of cocaine from Latin America to Western Europe during 2008 and 2009.

In another proceedings, Saric is being tried for laundering the "cocaine" money in Serbia.

Photo Tanjug/S. Ilic