Organised Crime in Streets of Zagreb

Ten years ago the candidate for the Zagreb underground leadership, Ivan Sakota, was probably killed by yesterday murdered Davor Zecevic.

Exactly ten years passed since the murder of Ivan Sokota (24), young candidate for the leadership of the Zagreb underground. He was killed around 1:00 a.m. on June 28 in from on the coffee bar Kvak in Maticeva Sr., precisely by a bullet that hit him under his armpit. The murder happened in front of a crowd, that sat on the outside chairs of the serious bar on that summer evening. Davor Zecevic Zec was charged for the murder of Sakota and was murdered himself last night. It was known that Sakotina's uncles vowed to make the murderer of their nephew not only in front of the court. However, the paying of an old debt came on schedule. Although 10 years later.

Slisko’s and Bagaric’s mafia clan’s settlements of accounts

And ten years ago Zagreb really looked like a battle field for two mafia clans, Slisko’s and Bagaric’s, and their settlements of accounts. The clan war officially started in spring 1997, when young Sokota was killed. Then followed the murder of Spehtim Taci (27), who was witness of Sakotina’s murder. Tacin was eliminated in his BMW on the crossroad of Zagorska St. and Selska St., while he was waiting at the traffic lights green light. He was killed by a motorcyclist who stopped next to him.

Mijat Vrdoljak (35) was the next on the list. Known for his business with cars, but also as holder of debts, Vrdoljak escaped death the first time when a bomb was placed in his car, but he was killed a month later, shot from a fast driving car.

Il capo di tutti i capi – eliminated

The following year, on July 15, 1998, il capo di tutti i capi, Zlatko Bagaric was killed. In the coffee atmosphere of NK Dubrava, the Rodic brothers shot Bagaric after he had beaten them all night. Nikica Jelavic, supposed heir of Bagaric, was injured that night.

The battle had just started because in 1999, the crime page reported stories of new criminal settlements of accounts almost every month. At the beginning of march 1999, Zelko Sobot was killed as he was eating a burek in his parked BMW in Ozaljska St. in the Zagreb neighborhood of Tresnjevka. Only three months later, and assassination attempt against Bagaric’s friend Miljenko Zaja Krojf with bomb was placed in his Mercedes, while he was driving through Nova Branimirova, failed. The beginning of October was marked by another mafia murder. In the MIG night club in Sevesete, Ivan Crnogorac was killed, a known in the criminal environment as a violent debt holder, racketeer and manager of a catering establishment. Immediately after the investigation, the suspects were arrested, but after further criminal investigations, they we freed due to lack of evidence!

“Heartsease killer” killed.

1999 was the was fatal also for controversial banker Ibrahim Dedic. On July 3, he was killed at the entrance of a building in Ivekovica St. at 10:30 p.m., three masked men waited for him and killed him by shooting at him 20 times.

“The Heartsease killer” Damir Dzeba (33) who ploughed them under with his jeep in front of HNK (Croatian National Theatre), also put an end to a mafia settlement of accounts. His life ended on the tar of Prisavlje when he was shot with and automatic rifle.

The last straw was the murder of the of the opponent mafia clan leader, Vjeko Slisko. In fact, on November 28 1999, around 1:00 p.m. a passerby, Zoran Domini, was accidentally killed by a rocket bullet in the very centre of Zagreb. The bullets were addressed to Slisko. After Domini’s murder, who was an accidental victim of a mafia settlement of accounts, the Zagreb police had to deal with it. Unsolved murders just piled up, the police made progress in their discoveries and after all these murders, it was admitted that in Croatia organized crime exists, true in from the beginning.

Released

Nine out of ten members of the Zagreb underground ended up behind the bars. It seemed then that the streets of Zagreb were cleaned up from criminals. The police gathered a few thousands evidence materials and, along with the spectacular insurance and treatment, charges against “the Kenzija boys” were filed in order of criminal offence: murder, loan-sharking, extortion, robbery…

The process lasted until 2003. Some were convicted, some freed, some other ended up with shamefully small punishments. Today they are all free, at least the survivors. Tvrtko Tomicic, for example, today is often mentioned in the drug affairs. Nikica Jelavic and Zoran Pripuz with Blago Petrovic are dealing with immovable. Davorin Sobjeslavski, which was freed of more than half of the charges, he is consuming a special temporary freedom stay. This sort of permission was given to Zec last night when he was killed. Although it was never proved that organized crime exists and works in Croatia, last night’s murder, as all the ones mentioned, proves the contrary. Mafia rule, la mentale, is a law for all criminals. Accidental and collateral victims are not important to them, and the security of the streets of Zagreb is also in question.