by Jens Lapidus
Mrado regarded the men around the table. All in first-class suits. Broad shoulders. Broad tie knots like sportscasters’. Broad smiles when they heard the numbers.
Radovan was at the head of the table. His head was tilted back, chin in the air. Gave the impression that he wanted to have an overview of the others. Concentrated, steely look on his face.
Stefanovic: unassuming appearance. Mrado knew better-he was the other half of Radovan’s brain.
Goran was sitting with his arms crossed. Almost as beefy as Mrado. Almost as bitchy as a teen with a curfew. Followed Stefanovic with his eyes. Listened and analyzed the strategy. Had a lined notebook in front of him on the table.
Nenad rocked the Stureplan look. Backslick, pinstriped suit, pink tailored shirt. Matching silk handkerchief in his breast pocket. What gave him away was the Serbian cross tattooed on his hands. The Cocaine King/Whore Boss looked like a cocaine king/whore boss. Tried to pull a laid-back attitude-drawling voice, slow movements-but he was always jittery.
Stefanovic rose. Paced back and forth. “Let me give you a quick history lesson.”
Goran took notes.
“We’ve gotten competition over the last couple of years. When they took down Jokso in 1998, many of us thought the market shares were up for grabs, that there weren’t too many contenders in the cockfight. Then came the cease-fire between the Hells Angels and the Bandidos in 2001. You remember the terms. Neither of the gangs was allowed to expand. They had territories in Malmö, Helsingborg, and in two places on the west coast. But they were smart. Instead of the main clubs growing, the hang-around clubs grew, Red & White Crew and Red Devils, X-Team and Amigos MC. We are the people your parents warned you about, as they like to say. Mischievous boys. Today, they’re like ants and Sweden is their hill; even Stockholm’s crawling with them. As if that wasn’t enough, the prisons’ve really revved up: Original Gangsters, the Wolfpack Brotherhood, Fucked for Life, et cetera, et cetera. At first, they were loosely knit groups of young criminals and overgrown teen fists. Today, they’re almost as well organized as the motorcycle gangs, even outside the walls. What’s more, the Russian Mafia, the Estonian crime rings, not to mention the Naser Gang-we all know them-and the fuckin’ Polacks with their illegal Benz import have cut into large parts of the market. What’s happened?”
Stefanovic stared them down, one by one. The old boys were chastened. What he’d told them wasn’t news. Even so, you could see it in their eyes, the flicker of understanding that maybe the Yugos weren’t the biggest, baddest, and most beautiful anymore. The golden age was over. They were no longer kings of the hill.
Nenad arranged a well-waxed piece of hair, smoothed it down. “I can tell you what’s happened. They’re letting too many blattes into this country. Fuck, first it was the Kosovo Albanians, Naser’s ugly mugs and the rest. Then all the nasty-ass Gambians-they fuckin’ own half of the heroin in this city. And this is goddamn unbelievable: The Russians are smuggling cigarettes with the Bandidos. Unholy bedfellows. Worse than Croats, Slovenians, and Americans sucking each other off. It’s sicker than what the Svens do to our import pussy. Close the borders. Deport every Eastern fuck who sits his dark-haired, drug-filled ass down on the blond side of the border.”
Stefanovic said, “There’s a lot to what you just said. But it’s not just the new immigrants who’ve created the competition. We’re seeing new alliances. New gangs. They’ve learned from us and the motorcycle gangs in the States. We’ve got certain advantages, we all come from Holy Serbia. We speak the same language, have the same habits and contacts, are unified. But today, that’s not helping. Especially not now when the peace’s been broken. There’s a new war on-and it involves us. So far, two from the Bandidos, one HA, and one OG-popped. But we’ve taken a beating too. You all know what’s happened. Two months ago, one of ours was shot, severely injured. Both the war and the Nova Project will continue if we don’t do something. I’ve been thinking about it. Radovan’s been thinking about it. Mrado and I’ve talked to some others, which you’ll hear more about in a moment. To conclude, there are a lot more players on the field than five years ago, the cease-fire’s been broken, and the police’ve strengthened their positions through this damn Nova shit. They’re pinpointing us, infiltrating us, disturbing the balance. When people within certain groups fall, other groups think it’s a free-for-all. We’re fighting, when we should be collaborating. But we have a suggestion for a solution to the problem. Mrado will tell you about that.”
Stefanovic handed out copies of a paper with a list of names on it. Pointed.
“These are the gangs that control organized crime in Stockholm. Under the name of each gang, I’ve written down what they do and where. For example, you can see here that the Hells Angels run coat checks all over the city, do some drug dealing, primarily in the southern boroughs, import precursors, run automatic gambling machines all over the city, and do protection racketeering. All you gotta do is compare. Who’s in the same business we’re in and where’re they doing it. I’m about to hand the show over to Mrado. He’s already been in touch with some of the gangs on the list. Discussed the solution.”
Goran leaned across the table, as if he didn’t think the others would hear otherwise. “I honestly don’t see why we gotta find a solution. I don’t see a problem, since I’ve got total control over my business. If someone else’s got a problem, they should have to solve it on their own.”
Clear message directed at Mrado and Nenad: You’re not handling your job.
Stefanovic supported himself with both his hands on the table. The sleeves of his suit jacket slipped down over his cuffs and cuff links, which were in the shape of mini revolvers. He leaned over the table, mimicked Goran.
“You’re missing the point, Goran. We’re in this together. We consider and analyze what’s best for Radovan and for us. Not just for you. If you haven’t understood that by now, you’re welcome to discuss the matter with Rado in private. End of story.”
The second time today that Goran’d stepped out of line. The second time he’d gotten his fingers smacked. How much crap would Rado take?
Radovan remained calm. Gaze glued on Goran. Power play.
Goran stared back for a microsecond, then nodded.
Mrado cleared his throat. He’d prepared tonight’s talk ahead of time. Some parts were hot; Goran might freak out again.
“As Stefanovic was saying, I’ve been in touch with some of the groups. Among them, the Hells Angels and the Original Gangsters. And we’ve come up with the solution; it’s all about dividing up the market. Dividing up the different areas we work between us. The groups work differently. The HA are a lot more organized than the OG. On the other hand, the OG are ready to take bigger risks and have better connections in the outer boroughs. You can take a look at Stefanovic’s handout to see what they’re doing. The HA compete with us over coat checks, cocaine, and booze smuggling. They’re bigger than us at racketeering and gambling machines. The OG do cocaine and some racketeering and different loosely planned CIT hits. My assessment is that the OG aren’t a direct threat to our business. We could basically give a fuck about them. But they might, for example, be in competition with other groups that, in turn, compete for the same markets we do. We get a domino effect. The Hells Angels, for instance, are ready to discuss a division regarding either the booze import or the coat checks. Stefanovic and I are gonna look into it further. I’m gonna meet up with more people and hear what can be done. The Gambians, the Bandidos, the Wolfpack Brotherhood, and others. The point is that we have to fortify the front against this Nova shit and end the war. You know as well as I do that no one wants to be called a canary, but in a war, the whole sky fills with birdsong. Rat people out rather than rub ’em out, man to man. The Nova Project gains from everyone being at war with everyone else.”
Mrado continued to explain. Described the gangs. The rings that divided and ruled the city. Unholy alliances and kinship. Ethnic, racial, and geographic groupings.
Th
e men sat in silence. No one wanted to give up their market. At the same time, everyone understood the problem. Most of all, no one wanted to fight with Radovan.
Mrado thought about the mood he’d sensed earlier. Rado wasn’t totally pleased. After this run-through, Radovan’s attitude toward him ought to improve. Mrado’d begun a huge job with the market division.
He wrapped up his lecture.
Radovan thanked Stefanovic and Mrado.
Everyone turned their cells back on.
A few minutes of small talk.
Goran excused himself. Said he had to go.
Rado looked satisfied. “Thanks for coming. I think this could be the beginning of something new, something big. You can go now if you want. Personally, I’d planned on enjoying myself tonight.”
The doors to the room swung open. Two girls in short skirts rolled in a booze cart. Poured out drinks.
They sang Serbian drinking songs.
Nenad pinched one of the girls on the butt.
Rado laughed.
Food was brought in.
Mrado almost forgot his feelings toward Radovan.
It was gonna be a long night.
* * *
MEMORANDUM
(Confidential, pursuant to chapter 9, paragraph 12 of the Secrecy Act.)
PROJECT NOVA
COUNTY CRIMINAL POLICE INITIATIVE AGAINST ORGANIZED CRIME
Balkan-related crime in Stockholm
Report Number 7
Background Information
The following memorandum is based on reports and suspicions from the Special Gang Commission and the Norrmalm police’s Financial Crime Investigation Unit in collaboration with the Unified County Effort Against Organized Crime in the Stockholm Area (collectively referred to below as the Surveillance Group). The methods employed include mapping, with the help of the combined experience of the Stockholm police; the collection of information from people within the criminal networks, so-called rats; secret wiretapping and bugging; as well as the coordination of requisite registries. The memorandum is being presented due to the fact that new information has been gathered from a person (X) who is currently convicted and incarcerated and who was previously active within the networks described below and also noted internal conflicts within the Yugoslavian network’s leadership.
Since the summer of last year, the Surveillance Group has, with increased efforts, tracked a number of persons who belong to the so-called Yugoslavian Mafia (referred to below as the Organization). The members of the Organization are suspicious of new people, which is why the Organization is difficult to infiltrate. This is largely due to the Organization’s ethnic homogeneity. The upper levels of the hierarchy solely consist of men between the ages of twenty-five and fifty-five, all born, or with both parents born, in the former Yugoslavia, today Serbia-Montenegro. There are few so-called rats who are ready to provide information about the Organization because of its members’ well-documented history of violence. The Organization has become famous for following through on threats, and several incidents of serious violent crimes over recent years can be tied to it and its related groups. See reports 2-4. Wiretapping or other bugging is often unsuccessful, since the people within the Organization search the places where they spend time as well as use prepaid phone cards that are frequently switched out.
Since three months back, the Surveillance Group has suspected that the Organization is preparing itself and its business to face the threat posed by Project Nova.
The Business of the Organization
There are suspicions in regard to the following criminal activities: alcohol and cigarette smuggling, sex trafficking, procuring, and pandering, blackmail, and racketeering, as well as freight frauds and freight theft.
Actors
Radovan Kranjic: The Organization’s leader is the Swedish citizen Radovan Kranjic (also known as Rado, Mr. R., and the Yugo boss), born in 1960 at an unknown location in the former Yugoslavia, now Serbia-Montenegro. He came to Sweden in 1978, seeking employment.
Among other things, Kranjic has previously worked as a bouncer and a bodyguard. Today, he owns and runs a restaurant, Clara’s Kitchen & Bar, Ltd. (Organization number 556542-2353), in central Stockholm. He reported an income from the company as well as from certain shares in Diamond Catering, Ltd. (Organization number 556554-2234), a total of 321,000 kronor for the past fiscal year.
Kranjic has previously been convicted of the following. 1982: assault, minor. 1985: illegal threats, assault, illegal weapons possession, speeding (served eight months in prison). 1989: illegal threats, tax fraud, illegal weapons possession (served four months in prison). Since 1990, Kranjic has not been reported for any crimes or misdemeanors.
Kranjic is married to Nadja Kranjic, with whom he has one child. Kranjic is believed to have participated in the war in the former Yugoslavia, 1993-1995, during which time he was not in Sweden for long stretches of time. He is said to have good connections within segments of the Serbian Nationalist Movement, among them Zeljko Raznatovic, better known as “Arkan,” whose private paramilitary army, the Tigers, led ethnic cleansing actions in Kosovo 1992-1995. During the later part of the 1990s, he was the number two in the Organization in Stockholm and was primarily responsible for the racketeering and cocaine businesses. Kranjic is also believed to have started the sex trafficking, procuring, and pandering business during this time.
Mrado Slovovic: He is Radovan Kranjic’s direct subordinate. Slovovic, who is a Swedish citizen born in 1967, came to Sweden in 1970 from the former Yugoslavia. He has previously worked as a bouncer and with the import of Thai wood products. He trains in so-called bodybuilding and combat sports.
Slovovic reported an income of 136,000 kronor for the past fiscal year, profits derived from his wood-importing business as well as from gambling.
He has previously been convicted for the following. 1987: driving under the influence. 1988: aggravated assault, illegal weapons possession, and illegal drug possession, minor (served one year in prison). 1995: breaking and entering, robbery, and resisting arrest (served twenty-four months in prison). 2001: illegal threats. Since 2001, he has not been reported for any crimes or misdemeanors. Slovovic was most recently prosecuted for aggravated assault of a bouncer at restaurant Kvarnen in Stockholm. Charges against Slovovic were dropped on appeal. The other defendant, X, was sentenced to three years in prison for aggravated assault. X is believed to be one of Slovovic’s so-called lackeys and has worked with him within the Organization’s coat-check racketeering business. Furthermore, Slovovic is currently involved in a custody battle with his former wife, Annika Sjöberg, regarding the care of their daughter, Lovisa.
Slovovic is believed to have been a member of the so-called Tigers, during their attack on Srebrenica in 1995. Slovovic is very violent and has, other than the incident at Kvarnen, without a doubt committed a great number of acts that would be classified as aggravated assault if he were forced to stand trial for them. Among other things, the Norrmalm police’s Drug Unit has tried to infiltrate a group of so-called bodybuilders at the Fitness Club gym on Sveavägen in Stockholm, which serves as a recruiting base for crime. The police infiltrator (Y) was, on August 18 of last year, gravely assaulted by Slovovic, who used free weights from the gym as well as threatened him with a gun. Y does not believe that Slovovic suspected his connection with the police, but that the assault was done as an “exhibit of power” by Slovovic.
Slovovic is responsible for the Organization’s protection racketeering business as well as other acts of blackmail and threats. The protection-racketeering business is directed primarily against restaurants and bars in the Stockholm area, but also against other business owners who appear to exist in a legal “gray zone.”
Stefanovic Rudjman: He is Kranjic’s nephew and his and his family’s private bodyguard. Born in Sweden in 1977. He has previously been enrolled at Stockholm University, where his studies have included law and economics. He did not complete a degree in either subject. He has previousl
y been active as an accountant at the accounting firm Rusta Ekonomi, Ltd. (Organization number: 556743-3389).
He reported an income of 859,000 kronor for the past fiscal year, income that mainly originates from interest on stocks and other assets.
The Surveillance Group suspects that Rudjman runs a money-laundering business for, among others, Kranjic. Rudjman has not been convicted of any crime except for a number of traffic offenses since 2000. He is unmarried. Rudjman is also believed to handle Kranjic’s investments. Rudjman has, among other things, invested large sums in real estate development projects in the Belgrade area.
Internal Conflicts
The Surveillance Group has gathered information regarding internal conflicts within the Organization. The Organization is well aware of Project Nova and is preparing itself to face the police’s efforts. Its leadership is planning to divide the market for certain types of criminal activity in order to avoid insider competition. The method proved effective during the so-called cease-fire between the motorcycle gangs Bandidos and Hells Angels. The Surveillance Group believes that Mrado Slovovic and Stefanovic Rudjman have been entrusted with the job of researching and planning as well as implementing such a division of the market. Slovovic has been in touch with a number of other criminal networks and organizations. He is very difficult to keep under surveillance since he often changes phone carriers. What’s more, there is no permit for further surveillance efforts. It is probable that he is planning to meet with more of Stockholm’s criminal gangs in the near future. Certain internal conflicts exist within the Organization in regards to the attempts to divide the market.
Based on a tapped conversation between Kranjic and Rudjman on February 15 of this year (tape SPL 3459-045 A), it is apparent that Kranjic no longer trusts Slovovic. The following quotes are translated from Serbian and taken from the transcript of the conversation:
Kranjic: We probably have to get rid of the coat checks or knock him off [Mrado]. I don’t trust M.