On Saturday, May 10, Damir Mandić completed a 19-year prison sentence he was serving for being an accomplice in the murder of Duško Jovanović, editor-in-chief of the newspaper Dan, who was killed on May 27 2004.
However, instead of being released, Mandić was transferred the same day from the correctional facility to the Spuž Investigation Prison, by order of the Higher Court in Podgorica. He is now being held in pre-trial detention as one of the suspects in the “General” case, which involves organized drug trafficking, the court confirmed to Pobjeda.
Mandić has also been indicted by the Special Prosecutor’s Office as a member of the criminal organization allegedly run by Radoje Zvicer and Nikola Vušović, also known as “Johnny from Vračar.” The group is believed to have plotted the assassination of Marko Ljubiša Kana from Budva — a plan that was thwarted in January 2021.
Mandić was convicted and sentenced to 19 years in prison for aiding in the murder of Duško Jovanović, the attempted murder of his bodyguard Milorad Mirović, and the kidnapping of Miodrag Nikolić.
Police found Mandić’s fingerprints on the rifle believed to have been used in the shooting, as well as on a can left near the car from which the shots were fired.
In the original 2006 trial, Judge Radovan Mandić acquitted Damir Mandić of all charges, but the Court of Appeals later overturned that decision. In a retrial in April 2009, Judge Lazar Aković sentenced him to 30 years in prison. After several appeals and legal proceedings, the sentence was reduced to 19 years in October 2015.
Just as Mandić neared the end of his prison term, his alleged role in international cocaine trafficking and the planning of Marko Ljubiša’s murder was uncovered through the analysis of communications on the encrypted Sky ECC messaging app. Ljubiša is believed to be a leader of the Budva-based criminal group.
Following a six-month investigation, the Special State Prosecutor’s Office filed an indictment on January 15 of this year against 20 individuals accused of smuggling nearly 2.5 tons of cocaine from South America to Europe and Australia.
The charges target key figures including Vaso Ulić, the alleged leader of the Kavac clan Radoje Zvicer and Slobodan Kašćelan. Also indicted are Ulić’s son Nikola, Damir Mandić, Vukan Čoković Matić, Viktor Drešaj, Radomir Dobriša, Petar Miranović, Marinko Prelević, Veselin-Paro Pavličić, and Mileta Božović. Additional suspects include fugitives Vuk Vulević, Radule Božović, Ivan Delić, Leon Drešaj, and Dragan Pavličević.
Former Budva municipality president Milo Božović, Vjekoslav Lambulić, and Radovan Pantović, who had been previously arrested, are also among those charged.
According to the prosecution, Mandić and Vuk Vulević — both implicated in Operation “General” — engaged in extensive communication regarding drug trafficking via the encrypted “Sky” app.
Investigators have recovered numerous messages, some allegedly sent by Mandić and Vulević, which discuss — among other things — the logistics of the drug trade.
In addition to other suspected members of the organization, they also communicated with co-defendant Ivan Delić.
Two months later, Mandić was again indicted by the Special Prosecutor’s Office — this time for participating in the planned assassination of Marko Ljubiša.
Source: Pobjeda