Serbian Court Convicts Saric of Drug Smuggling

The Belgrade Higher Court on Monday in a first-instance verdict found the alleged crime boss Darko Saric guilty of smuggling 5.7 tons of cocaine from South America to Europe and jailed him for 15 years - after a four-year trial marked by speculation, intrigues and suspicions.

The court also ruled that Saric should remain in custody until the first-instance verdict, which can be appealed, comes into force. 

Saric did not attend the sentencing at his own request, Serbian media reported. 

Saric, who had been on the run since 2010, surrendered to the Serbian police after reaching an agreement with the Belgrade authorities to give himself up in March 2014.

He was flown in to Belgrade airport from Montenegro on March 18 accompanied by police and taken to the Special Prosecutor for Organised Crime's office.

"To avoid a bloodbath and casualties in an arrest, we were offered his unconditional surrender to Serbia, for which he has not demanded any special conditions," the then Serbian Justice Minister Nikola Selakovic told a press conference the same day.

Serbian officials said security agents from Serbia and 15 other countries had followed Saric and his associates constantly for 270 days.

The office of the Special Prosecutor for Organised Crime accused Saric of smuggling more than five tons of cocaine and of laundering at least 22 million euros.

The trial soon became known for regular postponements of hearings because of the absence of lawyers and medical issues.

On November 27, 2017, the President of the Belgrade Court reassigned one of the judges from the Trial Chamber in the case, which meant that it had to start again.

Previously, another judge from the Trial Chamber was also reassigned.

Saric was...