Principi Group

The Principi group, also known as Belivuk-Miljković clan, founded under the name Janjičari, is a Serbian notorious hooligan firm of JSD Partizan, that is involved in organized crime, and was founded by Veljko Belivuk and Aleksandar Stanković. From a local vandals and hooligans in JSD Partizan's basketball and football matches, it grew into one of the most powerful criminal organizations in the Balkan region. It was founded in Ritopek, a suburban neighbourhood of Belgrade, Serbia. The crimes Principi committed in the span of 5–8 years were extortion, intimidation, kidnapping, torture and mutilation, murder and drug sales. With allegiance to Kavač clan and contact with over 29 other Grobari subgroups, Principi is one of the most powerful criminal organizations in Serbia and Southeast Europe.

Formation

The Principi criminal group is linked to Veljko Belivuk and Darko Elez, the mastermind of the criminal underworld in Republika Srpska, and the leader of Elez gang. They worked together, celebrated the murders of rival mobsters and were on the verge of joining a clan that would rule a large territory of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Belivuk and Elez had the same boss, Radoje Zvicer, a Montenegrin criminal and a leader of Kavač clan.

Football-based activities

Later in 2013, Aleksandar Stanković, known as Sale Mutavi, a leader of newly formed Partizan supporters group called "Janjičari", invited his colleague Belivuk, and his best man Marko Miljković to join his new crew. At the end of 2016, after the murder of Sale, Belivuk and Miljković took control over the crew, changing the name to Principi, after a Serbian historical figure Gavrilo Princip. In 2018, Principi became the leading group on the south stand on Partizan Stadium, and almost all subgroups of hooligans on the south stand gave allegiance to Belivuk and Miljković.

After the arrest of 19 core members of the organization, Belivuk and Miljković continued the criminal control over the organization, making Principi hidden from the south stand for few months before returning in 2022. Reformed organization was set under the leadership of Djordje Prelić "Prela", a close friend of Belivuk who was in jail during his rule. Prela commands hooligans and organizations football operations, while Belivuk gives the instructions.

Formation of Omerta group

In early 2022, two of Prelić's men had a meeting with Kavač clan leader on forming a new subgroup of Principi, named Omerta. After the agreement, Marko Miljković's cousin took control over it, while Marko commands it. The group is considered as an enforcer crew of much larger Principi and operates drug trafficking, gunrunning and prostitution rings for the organization. It is alleged that Marko Miljković moved to Paris, France, and gained legal citizenship there. He is currently the leader of the group Omerta, which acts as a head organization for Grobari offshoot organization in Paris. Omerta also acts as the leading hooligan firm who controls all the finances, stands, operations of the Grobari supporters. It is estimated that through organized crime, and legal businesses, Omerta earns over €50,000,000 for the Principi group. In Amsterdam, Dutch police arrested few Serbian hooligans of Partizan of suspecting drug trafficking, but were let off after 24 hours because of lack of evidance. 2 Days later, 2 murders happened in Amsterdam, with both people being connected to Dutch organized crime.

Criminal activities

Before Elez and his right-hand man, Belivuk was arrested in Belgrade at the end of last year, on December 22. He was accused in Bosnia of at least two murders. Siniša Miličević, nicknamed Tigar, who was brutally murdered in "sačekusa" on June 1, 2018, and according to the same recipe, Miloš Ostojić was killed on January 2, 2019. They were close to Đorđe Ždrala, known as Đoka. Elez's former godfather with whom he has been in conflict for years and they have tried to eliminate each other several times.

In a major police operation, in which the DEA and the Serbian police participated, in addition to Belivuk, 18 other people were arrested, who are suspected of having committed several serious crimes, drug trafficking, extortion, blackmail, murder and mutilation of people. Belivuk was arrested at Rudnik, where he allegedly went to burn vehicles used in criminal acts. The police found a bunker and several other rooms that served Belivuk's criminal group at the Partizan Stadium. Drugs and weapons were found, including a sniper rifle. Police also found 15 people in the so-called "barracks".

Belivuk became known to the general public in 2016 after the attack on Boža Kumburović and Nebojša Petrović, members of the security of FK Partizan's director Miloš Vazura. He was sentenced to one year of house arrest without electronic tagging. The media classified Belivuk in the so-called Kavač clan, which has been at war with the Škaljari clan for years.

The group is active throughout the Balkans, with waging war against Škaljari clan, Principi and Kavač clan are trying to take as much territory as they can. They are also involved in an organized crime ring, nicknamed by the media as ' Balkan Cartel'. In 2024, it is leaked that the groups presence is high in a small border city, Kikinda, with their operations of drug-weapon smuggling with Romanian allies are high and efficient for the groups funding from the city. Grobari from Kikinda are the core members and operatives for the clan. Uroš Kolaković is the leader in Kikinda for the group, while their membership is unknown, it is claimed that they have high importance for the groups operations.

Murder of Oliver Ivanović

This group was accused together with the group around Zvonko Veselinović of participating in the assassination of Oliver Ivanović. According to those claims, "Principi" were in charge of immediate execution, while logistics were provided by Milan Radoičić and everything was organized by Zvonko Veselinović. Ljubomir Lainović was the immediate executor, and Aleksandar Gligorijević was the courier. Gligorijević was later killed in an internal conflict between the Principi group members, and Belivuk was blamed for his murder. Lainović disappeared, and it is speculated that he was brutally tortured and killed by Škaljari (an opposing clan), two of whose high-ranking members he also killed.

Aftermath of Belivuk's arrest

After the Belivuk's arrest, groups core members completely changed, with Serbian government claiming the group is officially "tarnished". A lot of football fanatical supporters and fellow football hooligans claim that the group still operates, but with new leadership. It is alleged that Miljković's cousin is running the clans operations, while Djordje Prelić is the new leader of the hooligan crew on the south stand since 2022. Three core members of the gang, Bojan Hrvatin, Nikola Spasojević and most notorious of the three, Srdjan Lalić, who committed most of the gang's murders, became collaborative witnesses with a Special Court for Organized Crime in Serbia, few months after arrest. After 1 year of trial, Lalić claimed that clan Belivuk-Miljković committed approximately 17 murders that are not on the court papers, instead of official six murders they are on trial for.

According to news letters and police investigations in Serbia, Belivuk and Miljković are in contact with over 29 Grobari supporters groups in Serbia and Serbian diaspora. The list of supporters group with allegiance to Principi ultras was leaked by Republika.rs newsletter: 40+, South Guard'','' Još Neko Kopa, Anti Romi, Alternativa, Vandal Boys, Shadows, Smederevo, Obrenovac, Commando'','' Alo Požega and Ludnica Kovin. But also multiple Grobari groups from Padinjak, Novi Sad, Vršac, Republika Srpska, Trebinje, Vukovar, Nikšić, Bar, Kraljevo, Niš, Kragujevac, Kruševac. In Serbian diaspora, Belivuk and Miljković's close allies from Serbian diaspora are running Grobari's offshoot organizations based in Amsterdam, Zurich, Paris, Vienna, Stockholm, Stuttgart, Vicenza and Ljubljana. Making Principi group officially a transnational hooligan firm in 2024.

In 2022, a cooperating witness Srdjan Lalić, one of high-ranking members of the group, leaked how the gang wanted to assassinate president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, due to his "betrayal" to the group. Belivuk and Miljković, the two leaders of the gang, also noted that they have no trust in the government of Vučić, and that whole Principi are not sided with the government and should not be considered as "SNS-led" group, as it was thought before. Currently, the group is known for their anti-government stands and graffiti around the country, and are notably targeted by the Police because of this.

See also

* Serbian mafia
* Corruption in Serbia
* Crime in Serbia
* Zemun Clan

References

{{reflist

Organizations based in Belgrade
Organized crime in Serbia
2013 establishments in Serbia
2021 disestablishments in Serbia