Balkan Warriors: The Rise and Fall of Europe’s Deadliest Drugs Cartel

Balkan Warriors tells the story of a brutal narco war raging across Europe and beyond. Fought between two crime clans from the tiny nation of Montenegro, the Skaljari and the Kavac, it was sparked by the collapse of the notorious Darko Saric Cartel, once one of the Serbian mafia’s most powerful forces.

Charting the rise of the former Yugoslavia’s most dangerous criminals, from warlord Arkan to modern-day mafia bosses who use bombs, snipers, and other high-tech methods to fight gang wars across the globe, the book also examines the extraordinary police hacking of the encrypted Sky ECC phone system. Used by gangsters to arrange deals and plot murders, seized messages give an unprecedented insight into the workings of modern drug traffickers, as gangsters tortured, killed, and ground up their rivals in a mincer.

It is also a timely story of official corruption, delving into the dark ties between the Serbian state and the underworld at a time when the country remains aligned with Russian despot Vladimir Putin.

Following on from the author’s highly successful examination of the rise of the Albanian mafia in his book Albanian Mafia Wars, this is the first English-language account of the Saric Cartel and the war between the Kavac and Skaljari clans from Montenegro.

About the author:

John Lucas has written for some of Britain’s best-selling national newspapers, including The Sun, The Daily Mirror, the Mail on Sunday and The Times. John’s first book, Britain’s Forgotten Serial Killer, led to a review of the decision to move notorious inmate Patrick Mackay to an open prison after the matter was raised in Parliament.

Praise for Albanian Mafia Wars:

Highlights and tells the true story of the Albanian mafia from all over the world, from the top bosses down to the foot soldiers and even their long suffering wives. Highly recommended, an eye opener ***** – Amazon reviewer

A great fascinating book by the author with plenty of detail and research ***** – Amazon reviewer

I knew little or nothing about the Albanian drug trade.This book has completely changed that. It is sufficiently detailed that one gains a real understanding of the ever-changing nature of the trade and its evolution from a mainly central European entity to a sprawling global network, yet without lurching into minutiae and over-complexity. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone with even a fleeting interest in international crime ***** – Amazon reviewer