31-year-old Aleksandr Krugljanski and 42-year-old Aleksandra Krugljanskaja were detained last week at Tivat airport. They intended to depart on a commercial flight to Tel Aviv. Both hold Russian and Israeli citizenship.
During the inspection of their nineteen suitcases, customs officers found a large quantity of undeclared electronics. These included surveillance cameras, storage devices, computer components, a GPS tracker with a microphone, and a device for detecting radio signals. Medications were also found.
Search
The couple was also carrying 26,210 euros and 1,150 Israeli shekels in cash. After the arrests, police searched locations in the coastal towns of Budva and Bar used by the pair.
Promotion
They discovered cash in eight different currencies totaling approximately one million euros. Police also found over a thousand euros in counterfeit euro banknotes and various types of IT equipment, including tools for surveillance and monitoring.
EU Membership
The case is receiving additional attention as Montenegro moves closer to EU membership. The country hopes to receive EU approval later this year for the next phase of its accession. At the same time, criticism persists over the extensive organized crime and corruption in the Balkan country bordering Serbia.
Particularly, the longstanding conflict between the rival Kavač and Škaljari clans has caused much violence and dozens of deaths. There have also been repeated allegations of connections between criminal organizations and parts of the police and judiciary.
Russians and Turks
Montenegro is also working to align its policies further with those of the European Union. For example, it is ending visa-free travel for citizens of Russia, Belarus, and Turkey, among others. This tightening is linked to adjusting Montenegro’s visa rules to those of the EU.
The investigation into the Russian-Israeli couple has since expanded. The Montenegrin national security agency is involved, as well as representatives from foreign intelligence services. The focus is on the large sums of money, the electronics, and the circumstances under which the pair intended to depart for Israel with nineteen suitcases.