The man is suspected of having, together with accomplices, literally executed a rival from the drug scene on December 21, 2018. At that time, several shots were fired at the corner of Lugeck and Wollzeile. The 32-year-old Montenegrin, Vladimir R., collapsed after being fatally shot—he was shot several times in the head and upper body. His 23-year-old companion was critically injured.

Brutal feud between clans suspected
The bloody crime caused horror in Vienna at the time: in the midst of the Christmas shopping season, the city center became the scene of a mafia war. Investigators believe that a brutal feud between the notorious Montenegrin clans “Kavac” and “Skaljari” lies behind the murder.

Success thanks to the “AG ACHILLES” task force
According to the Federal Criminal Police Office, the arrest was made on the basis of a European arrest warrant issued by the Vienna Public Prosecutor’s Office, as well as an international manhunt for murder and attempted murder. The suspect is believed to be a member of the so-called “Skaljari clan,” while the victim is believed to belong to the rival “Kavac clan.”

“The arrest of the suspect is a significant success in the fight against organized crime,” explained BKA Director Andreas Holzer. The close cooperation between the “AG ACHILLES” investigative team, the BKA’s special investigators, and international partner agencies was crucial. Thanks to the team, it was possible to decrypt and analyze sensitive chats between the clans. 

The backdrop to the years-long blood feud is said to be a massive cocaine dispute: One of the clans is alleged to have stolen around 200 kilograms of cocaine from a hideout in Valencia, Spain, from the other clan in late 2014. Since then, bloody acts of revenge have shaken Montenegro, Serbia—and Austria as well. Dozens of people have already lost their lives.

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