During 2020 and early 2021, the company Playmaker – LLA 14, owned by Đorđije Pavićević, along with customs officers Ivana Kovačević and Veljko Đuričić in the Free Zone of the Port of Bar, falsified documentation for the export of over 24 million cartons of cigarettes to Libya.
Official data obtained by MANS reveals that these cigarettes were never loaded onto ships; instead, the ships arrived in Bar solely to load empty containers before proceeding to nearby ports. The prosecutor’s investigation in this case has covered only a small portion of the total 14 cases of fictitious cigarette exports uncovered by MANS.
When the ship Bergfjord left the Port of Bar in December 2020, official records stated that it was carrying 45,100 packages of cigarettes destined for Libya. However, instead of reaching the African coast, it changed course toward Albania and docked at the port of Shëngjin, carrying only one empty container on board. That ship never entered Libyan territorial waters.
A day before the arrival of Bergfjord, the company Playmaker informed the Port of Bar that only one empty container was to be loaded onto the ship.
On the day of arrival, the Panama company Amenua also informed customs authorities that the ship was docking only to pick up an empty container, which would then be transported to Shëngjin.
However, on the same day, Amenua submitted an additional 11 declarations for loading cigarettes onto Bergfjord. Simultaneously, the Panama firm ABC Development Corp submitted 6 more declarations, while Lenora International from Delaware filed 7 additional requests. All of these documents falsely stated that the cigarettes were being exported to Libya.
Customs officer Ivana Kovačević signed an inspection report stating that she had witnessed the loading of one empty container and 45,100 packages of cigarettes onto Bergfjord.
The same information was included in the cargo statement, which was officially certified by Pavićević’s company, Playmaker.
The outgoing manifest, also signed by customs officer Ivana Kovačević, stated that the ship departed from the Port of Bar for Libya.
Among the accompanying documents were 14 requests to the Port of Bar for the transfer of cigarettes from the warehouse onto Bergfjord—all of which were stamped by Kovačević. However, each of these requests was filed only on December 3, 2020—one day after the ship had already left the port.
Official records from the Port of Bar confirm that no cigarettes were loaded onto Bergfjord; the ship left Montenegro carrying only one empty container.
Additionally, documentation shows that the vessel was docked at the Port of Bar for precisely 1.5 hours—from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM.
To load 45,100 packages of cigarettes in such a short timeframe, as claimed in the customs documentation, it would have required loading six packages per second, without even accounting for customs and administrative procedures. Such a loading pace would have been physically impossible without the involvement of thousands of workers, none of whom could have entered the Free Zone without special permits.
Satellite data confirms that the Bergfjord sailed to Shëngjin, Albania, the day after leaving Bar—not to Libya.
Furthermore, the ship never entered Libyan territorial waters.
This smuggling scheme was repeated multiple times. In total, 14 ships arrived at Bar only to pick up one empty container before returning to their original ports.
Meanwhile, forged documentation falsely reported the export of 490,290 packages of cigarettes—equivalent to 24.5 million cartons—from the Free Zone of the Port of Bar to Libya.
According to the Special Prosecutor’s Office, this scheme was used to cover up stock shortages caused by cigarette smuggling.
In December 2023, authorities arrested Đorđije Pavićević, his associate Nikica Kovačević, and customs officers Ivana Kovačević and Veljko Đuričić, on suspicion of committing criminal offenses, including forming a criminal organization, forging official documents, and aiding smuggling.
However, the detention order only mentions four shipping routes, covering the fictitious export of approximately 110,000 packages of cigarettes—almost five times less than the data uncovered by MANS.
All suspects remain free, even though the sale of half a million packages of cigarettes on the black market generated nearly €300 million in profit, while the state suffered half of billion of euros loss in unpaid taxes and duties.
MANS investigative Center
