Saric to be kept in custody for 60 days

BELGRADE - The Special Court in Belgrade decided on Tuesday to place drug lord Darko Saric in custody for 60 days, stating that the reasons for the order from December 9, 2010, to place him in custory were still valid.

Saric was placed in custody because of the threat of him fleeing, fear that he could commit another crime if given freedom, reasonable suspicion that the case at hand involves a serious and organized cocaine trafficking scheme and the fact that he has previous convictions, the court said.

The court also accepted the proposal from the Office of the Prosecutor for Organized Crime to place Saric in custody because the prescribed sentence for the crimes he is suspected of is over 10 years in prison and the way they were performed and seriousness of the crimes are such that they disturbed the public, which could undermine the criminal procedure.

Saric faces a 15-year sentence for leading a cocaine trafficking ring.

The trial against Saric and his group charged with cocaine trafficking will continue before the Special Court for Organized Crime on March 24, when it will announced if he is going to present his defence or ask for time to prepare.

Darko Saric was questioned at the Special Court on Tuesday and said he had been hiding in Latin America and South Africa, Saric's lawyer Radoslav Bacevic told reporters outside the court after the questioning.

Saric stated he had turned himself over voluntarily, explaining that he had decided on that after being located by Serbian and Montenegrin security agencies in Latin America, Bacevic noted.

Saric wanted to be transported from Latin America to Montenegro to see his family, with whom he spent around 30 minutes, Bacevic said, adding that...