The U.S. sanctioned Zvonko Veselinovic. He bought drugs from Ismet Osmani, partner of Rositsa Kirova

The US State Department announced new sanctions against a group of Kosovo Serbs, led by Zvonko Veselinovic (pictured left). According to a Serbian intelligence report , Veselinovic is working closely with Ismet Osmani-Tsuri, the leader of a criminal organisation involved in international drug trafficking channels. Zvonko Veselinovic bought the drugs from Osmani and brought them to Serbia, and in the opposite direction he sold weapons to the Albanians. In Bulgaria , Ismet Osmani was a partner of Rositsa Kirova, current Deputy Chairman of the National Assembly from GERB.

Ismet Osmani-Tsuri was arrested in 2019 in Pristina. He is known to Western services as “a Kosovo Albanian with a base in KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, engaged in smuggling cigarettes, drugs and fuel (marijuana, heroin) and is considered particularly dangerous. He maintains close ties with UCK and Thaci, whom he must have maintained heavily in 1998 financially,” the BND wrote in a report on Balkan organised crime with a focus on Kosovo. It became public domain after it was published on the Wikileaks platform.

Before that, Ismet Osmani was also mentioned in a Serbian police report known as the “White Paper of Serbian Organised Crime”, leaked in 2000, quoted by OCCRP’s partners from the Serbian investigative portal Krik.rs.

According to the report, which colleagues met at a court hearing, Ismet Osmani is the leader of a criminal organization involved in international drug trafficking channels, and in Serbia he works closely with Zvonko Veselinovic, who bought the drugs from Osmani and brought them to Serbia, and in the opposite direction sold weapons to the Albanians.

The Bulgarian Connection

The revelation about the joint company of Kirova and Osmani was made by BRRD in April this year. Kirova and Osmani, together with two other persons, created the joint-stock company Citadella BG AD in November 2004. The subject of activity is the production of building materials, adhesives and dry mixes, as well as construction.

Asked about this partnership, Rositsa Kirova said she did not remember Osmani, but after the publication she took urgent action to close the company.

Rositsa Kirova became famous after former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov took her ride in his jeep and appointed her as the leader of the GERB list. Before publicly announcing with Borisov, Kirova was the coordinator of “There is such a people” for Vidin, but after the footage of the jeep she was expelled from the party.

Revelations about her joint business with the Kosovo drug lord have had a positive impact on her political career. She was elected twice as Deputy Speaker of Parliament, and all MPs voted unanimously for her, including those who publicly crush crime and corruption during Borisov’s rule.

According to operational sources of BIRD, Rositsa Kirova’s brother is one of the representatives of the drug lord Christopher Amantanidis – Taki for Northwestern Bulgaria.

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Разследващата журналистика е разузнаването на гражданите. BIRD се финансира от дарения. Ние не публикуваме реклами. Не получаваме държавни субсидии. Не разчитаме на грантове. Финансирането чрез малки дарения от читатели е гаранция за нашата независимост. Включете се, за да продължим да разкриваме злоупотреби и да държим отговорни властимащите. Използваме Вашите пари за хонорари на журналистите, командировки, изграждане и поддръжка на нашите информационни системи, такси за фирмени и имотни регистри у нас и по света, придобиване на техника и специално оборудване, осигуряване на нашата безопасност и други важни работни мисии. Важно: Ако дарявате всеки месец това ще ни даде възможност да планираме и организираме нашата работа. Благодарим Ви! Нас ни има, защото Вас Ви има!

This post is also available in: Български (Bulgarian)