{"id":9808,"date":"2025-03-11T10:44:31","date_gmt":"2025-03-11T08:44:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mans.co.me\/en\/?p=9808"},"modified":"2025-03-11T10:44:32","modified_gmt":"2025-03-11T08:44:32","slug":"mans-reveals-the-true-scale-of-smuggling-through-the-free-zone-of-the-port-of-bar-smuggling-of-24-5-million-cartons-of-cigarettes-covered-up-with-forged-documents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mans.co.me\/en\/?p=9808","title":{"rendered":"MANS reveals the true scale of smuggling through the Free Zone of the Port of Bar: SMUGGLING OF 24.5 MILLION CARTONS OF CIGARETTES COVERED UP WITH FORGED DOCUMENTS"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

During 2020 and early 2021, the company Playmaker \u2013 LLA 14, owned by \u0110or\u0111ije Pavi\u0107evi\u0107, along with customs officers Ivana Kova\u010devi\u0107 and Veljko \u0110uri\u010di\u0107 in the Free Zone of the Port of Bar, falsified documentation for the export of over 24 million cartons of cigarettes to Libya.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s investigation in this case has covered only a small portion of the total 14 cases of fictitious cigarette exports uncovered by MANS.<\/p>\n

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 Sh\u00ebngjin, carrying only one empty container on board. That ship never entered Libyan territorial waters.<\/p>\n

A day before the arrival of Bergfjord<\/em>, the company Playmaker informed the Port of Bar that only one empty container was to be loaded onto the ship.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

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 Sh\u00ebngjin.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

However, on the same day, Amenua submitted an additional 11 declarations for loading cigarettes onto Bergfjord<\/em>. 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.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Customs officer Ivana Kova\u010devi\u0107 signed an inspection report stating that she had witnessed the loading of one empty container and 45,100 packages of cigarettes onto Bergfjord<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The same information was included in the cargo statement, which was officially certified by Pavi\u0107evi\u0107\u2019s company, Playmaker.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The outgoing manifest, also signed by customs officer Ivana Kova\u010devi\u0107, stated that the ship departed from the Port of Bar for Libya.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Among the accompanying documents were 14 requests to the Port of Bar for the transfer of cigarettes from the warehouse onto Bergfjord<\/em>\u2014all of which were stamped by Kova\u010devi\u0107. However, each of these requests was filed only on December 3, 2020\u2014one day after the ship had already left the port.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Official records from the Port of Bar confirm that no cigarettes were loaded onto Bergfjord<\/em>; the ship left Montenegro carrying only one empty container.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Additionally, documentation shows that the vessel was docked at the Port of Bar for precisely 1.5 hours\u2014from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Satellite data confirms that the Bergfjord<\/em> sailed to Sh\u00ebngjin, Albania, the day after leaving Bar\u2014not to Libya.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Furthermore, the ship never entered Libyan territorial waters.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, forged documentation falsely reported the export of 490,290 packages of cigarettes\u2014equivalent to 24.5 million cartons\u2014from the Free Zone of the Port of Bar to Libya.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

According to the Special Prosecutor\u2019s Office, this scheme was used to cover up stock shortages caused by cigarette smuggling.<\/p>\n

In December 2023, authorities arrested \u0110or\u0111ije Pavi\u0107evi\u0107, his associate Nikica Kova\u010devi\u0107, and customs officers Ivana Kova\u010devi\u0107 and Veljko \u0110uri\u010di\u0107,\u00a0 on suspicion of committing criminal offenses, including forming a criminal organization, forging official documents, and aiding smuggling.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

However, the detention order only mentions four shipping routes, covering the fictitious export of approximately 110,000 packages of cigarettes\u2014almost five times less than the data uncovered by MANS.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

All suspects remain free, even though the sale of half a million packages of cigarettes on the black market generated nearly \u20ac300 million in profit, while the state suffered half of billion of euros loss in unpaid taxes and duties.<\/p>\n

MANS investigative Center<\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

During 2020 and early 2021, the company Playmaker \u2013 LLA 14, owned by \u0110or\u0111ije Pavi\u0107evi\u0107, along with customs officers Ivana Kova\u010devi\u0107 and Veljko \u0110uri\u010di\u0107 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<\/p>\n

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