USKOK has completed the investigation and filed an indictment with the County Court in Split against three Croatian citizens (1987, 1986, 2000) for criminal offenses of organized crime and unauthorized production and trafficking of drugs within that association.

The first defendant is charged for the period from April 6, 2021, to May 25, 2023, in Croatia, for organizing the remaining two defendants and at least three unidentified persons for the continuous procurement and sale of cocaine. They used encrypted phones for communication.

After agreeing with an unknown person on the continuous procurement of cocaine, the first defendant instructed the second defendant to negotiate procurements of 500 grams of cocaine each. The second defendant negotiated the procurements, arranged the place and time of handovers, and the driver would pick up the drug and hand over the money. The first defendant took the drug to an apartment in Podstrana, rented in the name of the third defendant, where they mixed the drug with fillers, increased the mass, and divided it into smaller packages for further sale.

In this way, the defendants procured at least one kilogram of high-purity cocaine, increased the mass by adding at least 900 grams of filler, and sold the drug to a larger number of people, earning at least 201,738.67 euros. They also procured at least 500 grams of cocaine of the same purity, but were unable to prepare it for sale because the police found and seized the drug from the third defendant on May 25, 2023.

The indictment charges the first defendant with ensuring storage and further distribution of the drug with the help of the second and third defendants, using pre-arranged routes and methods. The apartment in Podstrana, rented in the name of the third defendant, served as the main base of operations, where the defendants mixed cocaine with various fillers to increase the mass of the drug before sale. They used special encrypted devices for communication with suppliers and buyers, which complicated the police investigation.

Investigators discovered that the defendants used complex methods of hiding and distributing the drug. The second defendant coordinated the procurement of cocaine and organized the logistics, including arranging the time and place of handovers. The first defendant personally took the drug and brought it to the apartment, where it was further processed and prepared for sale. All activities were carefully planned to avoid detection by the police.

During the search of the apartment in Podstrana, the police found and seized large quantities of cocaine, along with equipment for mixing and packaging the drug. Encrypted phones used for arranging procurements and sales were also found, further confirming investigators' suspicions of the existence of an organized network.

In the indictment, USKOK proposed the extension of pre-trial detention for two of the defendants due to the risk of flight and the possibility of repeating criminal offenses. The court will decide on this proposal in the coming weeks.