Police suspect two recent murders in Barcelona are tied to Balkan crime groups. The shootings highlight the global repercussions of decade-long rivalries involving Serbian and Montenegrin drug clans.
Sasa Djordjevic
Within four days in June, two men were shot dead on the streets of Barcelona. Citing police sources, Spanish media described both killings as possible organised crime score-settling and pointed to disputes within the Balkan underworld, particularly involving criminal groups from Serbia and Montenegro.
These disputes are rooted in the cocaine trade and to a wider clash that escalated in 2014 over a stash linked to Valencia – a reminder that Spain has long been part of the geography of Balkan organised crime.
The killings show how conflicts rooted in the Balkans can travel across Europe, following the routes, infrastructure and opportunities created by drug trafficking. In that sense, Barcelona is not an isolated backdrop to Balkan organised crime. It is one of the places where its illicit interests and violent rivalries intersect.
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