1 00:00:08,080 --> 00:00:12,719 Speaker 1: It's October fifth, two thousand. The warm winds of democracy 2 00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:17,000 Speaker 1: have been blowing across the Balkans, the Eastern European region 3 00:00:17,320 --> 00:00:19,160 Speaker 1: that was once Yugoslavia. 4 00:00:19,720 --> 00:00:22,280 Speaker 2: So the key figure that emerges out of this pro 5 00:00:22,320 --> 00:00:25,840 Speaker 2: democracy movement during the nineties. 6 00:00:25,680 --> 00:00:26,600 Speaker 3: Is Zori Jingish. 7 00:00:27,240 --> 00:00:32,400 Speaker 1: American journalist Lily Lynch is editor in chief of Balkanist magazine. 8 00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:35,919 Speaker 1: She lived in the former Yugoslavia for over a decade. 9 00:00:36,800 --> 00:00:40,440 Speaker 1: In two thousand and one, Zoran Jingj became the first 10 00:00:40,479 --> 00:00:43,520 Speaker 1: democratically elected prime minister of Serbia. 11 00:00:43,880 --> 00:00:46,720 Speaker 2: He's the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, and he 12 00:00:46,800 --> 00:00:50,360 Speaker 2: has been described as sort of the Serbian JFK. He 13 00:00:50,960 --> 00:00:53,519 Speaker 2: spoke German and English and could speak very well to 14 00:00:53,560 --> 00:00:55,200 Speaker 2: the West, and the West had a lot of hopes 15 00:00:55,240 --> 00:00:57,240 Speaker 2: that he would kind of represent in new Serbia. 16 00:00:58,080 --> 00:01:00,720 Speaker 1: Jingij came to power on the promise that he would 17 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:05,039 Speaker 1: root out organized crime. Criminal gangs had been on the 18 00:01:05,160 --> 00:01:08,959 Speaker 1: rise in Serbia since the early nineties. Putting a stop 19 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:13,520 Speaker 1: to them would be his number one priority, but he 20 00:01:13,640 --> 00:01:14,520 Speaker 1: never had a chance. 21 00:01:16,040 --> 00:01:19,640 Speaker 4: Zoran Jingvich were shot outside this government building in Belgrade, 22 00:01:19,800 --> 00:01:22,479 Speaker 4: who was hit in the stomach and back, reportedly by 23 00:01:22,560 --> 00:01:25,399 Speaker 4: sniper fire. From across the street, who was taken to 24 00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:28,319 Speaker 4: a hospital in Belgrade, where he died shortly afterwards. 25 00:01:29,400 --> 00:01:33,680 Speaker 1: His murder sent a clear message Serbia's criminal gangs were 26 00:01:33,760 --> 00:01:38,759 Speaker 1: more determined, better funded, and more powerful than any politician 27 00:01:39,680 --> 00:01:50,320 Speaker 1: in Serbia. They were the real bosses. I'm Natalia Antalava. 28 00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:53,480 Speaker 1: I'm a journalist based in Eastern Europe, and I'm going 29 00:01:53,520 --> 00:01:56,960 Speaker 1: to take you into the world of Serbia's most brazen 30 00:01:57,120 --> 00:01:59,600 Speaker 1: jewel thieves. 31 00:02:01,520 --> 00:02:04,720 Speaker 5: The most daring and successful diamond thieves in the world. 32 00:02:04,920 --> 00:02:08,440 Speaker 6: Thirty to forty seconds, they're in, they're out. 33 00:02:08,680 --> 00:02:11,799 Speaker 5: They've stolen half a billion dollars worth of valuables. 34 00:02:11,960 --> 00:02:14,840 Speaker 2: Two well dressed men strolled into an exclusive jewelry store 35 00:02:14,880 --> 00:02:18,480 Speaker 2: in London and walked out with sixty six million dollars 36 00:02:18,480 --> 00:02:19,000 Speaker 2: in joyals. 37 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:24,880 Speaker 1: They called the Pink Panthers. They're loosely connected group of 38 00:02:25,040 --> 00:02:30,040 Speaker 1: over educated, underemployed, ambitious young people who rose from the 39 00:02:30,080 --> 00:02:33,880 Speaker 1: ashes of the Yugoslav Wars of the nineteen nineties to 40 00:02:33,919 --> 00:02:38,520 Speaker 1: commit elaborate smash and grab heists all across the globe, 41 00:02:39,120 --> 00:02:45,520 Speaker 1: often in broad daylight. This is infamous international The Pink 42 00:02:45,560 --> 00:03:00,639 Speaker 1: Panther Story Episode three, Niche dead of thieves. Last time, 43 00:03:00,639 --> 00:03:04,200 Speaker 1: we learned how the Pink Panthers developed an international brand. 44 00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:09,040 Speaker 1: They traveled to the world's most glamorous cities London, Paris, Monaco, 45 00:03:09,160 --> 00:03:13,520 Speaker 1: even Tokyo to commit brazen heights with speed and precision, 46 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:19,519 Speaker 1: sometimes employing elaborate costumes and ingenious techniques to full security measures. 47 00:03:20,200 --> 00:03:25,040 Speaker 1: They escape on speedboats or luxury cars, or they disappear 48 00:03:25,200 --> 00:03:29,000 Speaker 1: into the crowd. Each crime is more cinematic than the last, 49 00:03:29,360 --> 00:03:33,480 Speaker 1: culminating in the heights at the Waffi mont in Dubai. 50 00:03:34,560 --> 00:03:37,600 Speaker 1: There were three young criminals at the center of that story, 51 00:03:38,200 --> 00:03:43,720 Speaker 1: the mastermind Landon Lazarevich, his girlfriend and co conspirator, Boyani Mitch, 52 00:03:44,320 --> 00:03:48,360 Speaker 1: and their close friend, the dashing Milan li Puya, all 53 00:03:48,440 --> 00:03:52,320 Speaker 1: three in their twenties and all from the same hometown, 54 00:03:52,760 --> 00:03:57,200 Speaker 1: the Serbian city of Niche. So how did these bright 55 00:03:57,280 --> 00:04:00,360 Speaker 1: young things get wrapped up in the high stakes world 56 00:04:00,600 --> 00:04:06,520 Speaker 1: of international crime. To answer that question, we need to 57 00:04:06,560 --> 00:04:09,280 Speaker 1: go back to the nineteen eighties and the height of 58 00:04:09,320 --> 00:04:13,560 Speaker 1: the Cold War. Serbia was still part of Yugoslavia, an 59 00:04:13,560 --> 00:04:17,760 Speaker 1: Eastern European country made up of six states, including Bosnia 60 00:04:17,880 --> 00:04:22,360 Speaker 1: and Croatia. Serbia was the largest of them the dominant power, 61 00:04:23,120 --> 00:04:26,040 Speaker 1: and at that time Yugoslavia was a kind of gateway 62 00:04:26,080 --> 00:04:29,720 Speaker 1: to the West. Journalist Lilly Lynch again, it. 63 00:04:29,800 --> 00:04:32,040 Speaker 2: Was sort of in between the Soviet Union and the West. 64 00:04:32,080 --> 00:04:35,240 Speaker 2: It was considerably more open in many ways than the 65 00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:39,279 Speaker 2: Eastern countries, so it was kind of unique in Eastern Europe. 66 00:04:39,839 --> 00:04:43,359 Speaker 7: A popular misconception about Yugoslavia is that it is a 67 00:04:43,400 --> 00:04:47,359 Speaker 7: neighboring country of the Soviet Union. In actuality, it borders 68 00:04:47,400 --> 00:04:51,840 Speaker 7: seven European countries, none of them being Russia. Citizens here 69 00:04:51,880 --> 00:04:53,760 Speaker 7: are free to come and go as they please, as 70 00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:57,080 Speaker 7: our tourists who need only a passport to enter the country. 71 00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:02,800 Speaker 1: Local New York tiv Eastation CACBS ran that segment on 72 00:05:02,839 --> 00:05:05,680 Speaker 1: their news magazine show two in the Town back in 73 00:05:05,800 --> 00:05:09,200 Speaker 1: nineteen eighty six. You can hear how it works hard 74 00:05:09,320 --> 00:05:12,919 Speaker 1: to put some distance between Yugoslavia and the Iron Curtain. 75 00:05:15,080 --> 00:05:18,880 Speaker 1: This prosperous, thriving Yugoslavia was the legacy of the so 76 00:05:19,040 --> 00:05:24,640 Speaker 1: called benevolent dictator Marshall Yosep Tito. He ruled the country 77 00:05:24,680 --> 00:05:28,200 Speaker 1: with an iron fist for over thirty years, but at 78 00:05:28,279 --> 00:05:32,920 Speaker 1: least things were stable then in nineteen eighty one, A 79 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:36,800 Speaker 1: year after Tito's death, the AP reported on his legacy. 80 00:05:37,760 --> 00:05:40,159 Speaker 5: Many feared that the death of Tito would lead to 81 00:05:40,200 --> 00:05:43,080 Speaker 5: the breakup of their nation. In many ways, Tito was 82 00:05:43,120 --> 00:05:46,680 Speaker 5: the architect of modern Yugoslavia, the one figure with the 83 00:05:46,680 --> 00:05:50,200 Speaker 5: prestige and charisma to unite a nation of diverse cultures 84 00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:53,640 Speaker 5: and peoples. But aside from unity, he gave his country 85 00:05:53,680 --> 00:05:56,880 Speaker 5: independence and pride. 86 00:05:57,040 --> 00:06:04,080 Speaker 1: Journalist Yelena Zorich grew up in Tito's Yugoslavia eighties. 87 00:06:04,160 --> 00:06:07,200 Speaker 8: Generally everyone had a nice childhood. 88 00:06:07,760 --> 00:06:10,880 Speaker 1: Lena is more comfortable speaking Serbian, so we're hearing her 89 00:06:11,080 --> 00:06:12,080 Speaker 1: through a translator. 90 00:06:12,400 --> 00:06:14,359 Speaker 8: All of us who were kids, we were happy with 91 00:06:14,400 --> 00:06:18,120 Speaker 8: our childhood our as we say, ex Yugoslavia, that's a 92 00:06:18,160 --> 00:06:21,440 Speaker 8: country where the citizens used to sleep with their doors 93 00:06:21,680 --> 00:06:25,039 Speaker 8: not locked. You you were feeling completely safe because even 94 00:06:25,080 --> 00:06:28,599 Speaker 8: if there were some criminals here, they would be immediately 95 00:06:28,720 --> 00:06:31,520 Speaker 8: chased out of the country by our police. They were 96 00:06:31,560 --> 00:06:34,080 Speaker 8: practically exported to the West. 97 00:06:37,520 --> 00:06:40,880 Speaker 1: London. Boyana and Milan grew up in this period of stability. 98 00:06:41,400 --> 00:06:44,920 Speaker 1: My colleague Elan Greenberg dung into their childhoods. 99 00:06:45,120 --> 00:06:48,880 Speaker 9: Boyana grows up in Niche. This is a really old city. 100 00:06:49,120 --> 00:06:51,880 Speaker 9: Dates from Roman times and it's got a ton of history. 101 00:06:52,279 --> 00:06:55,640 Speaker 9: It had really a vibrant cafe culture and a lot 102 00:06:55,640 --> 00:06:58,880 Speaker 9: of bars, which is kind of surprising. It was once 103 00:06:58,880 --> 00:07:02,560 Speaker 9: a thriving industrial they called it electronic city, but that 104 00:07:02,640 --> 00:07:04,279 Speaker 9: started dining out in the nineteen eighties. 105 00:07:04,760 --> 00:07:06,520 Speaker 1: And what is it like for her to grow up 106 00:07:06,560 --> 00:07:07,160 Speaker 1: a niche? 107 00:07:07,480 --> 00:07:10,400 Speaker 9: It was pretty typical Natalia. She was raised in the 108 00:07:10,520 --> 00:07:14,480 Speaker 9: very middle class family. She was studious, bookish. We know 109 00:07:14,560 --> 00:07:17,600 Speaker 9: this because we talked to one of her teachers and 110 00:07:17,640 --> 00:07:20,440 Speaker 9: he remembered her really well. She was one of his 111 00:07:20,640 --> 00:07:23,800 Speaker 9: top students. She spoke several languages. He remembered that she 112 00:07:23,840 --> 00:07:24,680 Speaker 9: wanted to be a lawyer. 113 00:07:25,040 --> 00:07:27,720 Speaker 1: And what did you find out about Milana Lazarevitch in 114 00:07:27,760 --> 00:07:30,760 Speaker 1: his early life? Like what did he do before he 115 00:07:30,800 --> 00:07:31,800 Speaker 1: meets Boyana. 116 00:07:31,880 --> 00:07:34,440 Speaker 9: We weren't able to find out a lot about Miladin 117 00:07:35,200 --> 00:07:38,040 Speaker 9: in his childhood years. At least the people were able 118 00:07:38,040 --> 00:07:41,800 Speaker 9: to reach. They say he was pretty small physically, but 119 00:07:41,880 --> 00:07:45,040 Speaker 9: he had real confidence about him, almost a swagger, And 120 00:07:45,320 --> 00:07:47,240 Speaker 9: people say he was also really smart. 121 00:07:48,440 --> 00:07:51,600 Speaker 1: Milan Lepuya, on the other hand, has a much tougher 122 00:07:51,640 --> 00:07:56,120 Speaker 1: time of it as a child. Here's ilenosorig Yeah, Poya 123 00:07:56,360 --> 00:07:59,480 Speaker 1: was raised in one of the poorest neighborhoods of Niche. 124 00:07:59,520 --> 00:08:03,160 Speaker 8: He was a chabby little boy who was playing often 125 00:08:03,360 --> 00:08:06,360 Speaker 8: with his friends in the streets. Like you know, most 126 00:08:06,360 --> 00:08:09,440 Speaker 8: of the people in these poor neighborhoods are growing up. 127 00:08:10,240 --> 00:08:13,880 Speaker 1: A small kid with swagger and an attitude, a smart 128 00:08:13,880 --> 00:08:17,280 Speaker 1: girl with big dreams, a chubby boy from the wrong 129 00:08:17,360 --> 00:08:21,440 Speaker 1: side of town. But before they're even able to see 130 00:08:21,520 --> 00:08:25,480 Speaker 1: what they can achieve in life, their whole world collapses. 131 00:08:27,760 --> 00:08:30,480 Speaker 10: Good evening, We begin again tonight in Yugoslavia, which the 132 00:08:30,600 --> 00:08:33,520 Speaker 10: US believes maybe on the verge of coming apart at 133 00:08:33,520 --> 00:08:37,520 Speaker 10: the seams. International concern now focuses on the federal army 134 00:08:37,960 --> 00:08:40,559 Speaker 10: and what action it may take against the two Yugoslav 135 00:08:40,640 --> 00:08:44,239 Speaker 10: republics which have declared their independent Slovenia and Croatia. 136 00:08:48,600 --> 00:08:52,920 Speaker 1: ABC News reported on the sudden kioes that erupts when 137 00:08:52,960 --> 00:08:58,240 Speaker 1: brutal far right nationalist Slobodan Miloshovich comes to power in Serbia. 138 00:08:59,000 --> 00:09:04,960 Speaker 1: Almost immediately Miloshevich unleashes a decade of bloody wars. 139 00:09:04,920 --> 00:09:10,320 Speaker 2: Born Croatia started in nineteen eighty two, and then Bosnia 140 00:09:10,400 --> 00:09:11,880 Speaker 2: and then Kosovo. 141 00:09:13,800 --> 00:09:17,559 Speaker 11: The genocidal crimes of the nineteen nineties, Balkan wars stunned 142 00:09:17,559 --> 00:09:22,760 Speaker 11: the world, mass killings, concentration camps, systematic rape. 143 00:09:22,960 --> 00:09:26,280 Speaker 1: American media, like in that clip from PBS News Hour, 144 00:09:26,720 --> 00:09:30,000 Speaker 1: reports the horrors of the ethnic cleansing and the Serbian 145 00:09:30,040 --> 00:09:34,040 Speaker 1: war crimes. In response, the UN, the EU, and the 146 00:09:34,200 --> 00:09:37,679 Speaker 1: US all imposed crushing economic sanctions. 147 00:09:38,160 --> 00:09:42,559 Speaker 2: Journalist Lilly Lynch Yugoslavia was put understanctions. Serbia is put 148 00:09:42,600 --> 00:09:45,000 Speaker 2: under sanctions, so the city is devastating to the economy. 149 00:09:45,120 --> 00:09:48,160 Speaker 1: This is a huge deal. The sanctions prohibit trade with 150 00:09:48,200 --> 00:09:51,240 Speaker 1: the outside world. They could of travel in and out 151 00:09:51,280 --> 00:09:52,440 Speaker 1: of the country. 152 00:09:52,440 --> 00:09:54,520 Speaker 12: Because of the bad politics we had. 153 00:09:54,640 --> 00:09:58,000 Speaker 8: Because of the wars, the country was completely closed. You 154 00:09:58,040 --> 00:09:59,599 Speaker 8: couldn't go out of the country. 155 00:10:00,040 --> 00:10:04,640 Speaker 1: Jelena's orig remembers the devastating economic impact the sanctions had 156 00:10:04,679 --> 00:10:05,480 Speaker 1: on her country. 157 00:10:05,880 --> 00:10:09,920 Speaker 8: In the nineties, we had the biggest inflation on the 158 00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:14,600 Speaker 8: whole planet. Prices where skyrocketing every single day. 159 00:10:15,640 --> 00:10:18,720 Speaker 1: The government cuts off heat and electricity to conserve energy. 160 00:10:19,280 --> 00:10:24,680 Speaker 1: There are food shortages, suicide rates skyrocket, elicit trade, the 161 00:10:24,720 --> 00:10:27,520 Speaker 1: black market becomes the only game in town. 162 00:10:28,800 --> 00:10:34,160 Speaker 2: The executive sanctions imposed on Serbia totally criminalizes the economy 163 00:10:34,520 --> 00:10:37,920 Speaker 2: because you have sanctioned. The supply chain is completely broken down. 164 00:10:37,960 --> 00:10:40,920 Speaker 2: You can't find medicine, you can't find steady stream of cigarettes. 165 00:10:41,320 --> 00:10:45,360 Speaker 2: Smuggling becomes a huge part of the economy, and that 166 00:10:45,960 --> 00:10:49,120 Speaker 2: really starts in the nineties and has never changed. 167 00:10:49,280 --> 00:10:54,000 Speaker 1: In Serbia, the fall of the Soviet Union, the devastating wars, 168 00:10:54,200 --> 00:10:58,320 Speaker 1: and the growing black market all create a perfect climate 169 00:10:58,400 --> 00:11:03,560 Speaker 1: for criminals. Lenozorich again, our criminals who were chased, who 170 00:11:03,559 --> 00:11:08,439 Speaker 1: were exported before the nineties, they started coming back to Serbia. 171 00:11:08,520 --> 00:11:10,400 Speaker 8: They all just showed up out of nowhere. 172 00:11:11,800 --> 00:11:16,160 Speaker 1: The sudden influx of returning criminals fuels the fast rise 173 00:11:16,280 --> 00:11:23,439 Speaker 1: of Balkan gangs throughout the nineteen nineties, and then, after 174 00:11:23,640 --> 00:11:27,079 Speaker 1: years of atrocities by the Serbs, NATO moves to put 175 00:11:27,080 --> 00:11:30,920 Speaker 1: an end to Milashovich's brutal war by bombing the capital 176 00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:35,360 Speaker 1: city of Belgrade. The News Hour with Jim Lahr reported 177 00:11:35,360 --> 00:11:37,200 Speaker 1: on the start of the NATO campaign. 178 00:11:38,360 --> 00:11:41,800 Speaker 10: The air war over Kosovo and Yugoslavia began today. 179 00:11:42,080 --> 00:11:46,040 Speaker 7: NATO's first wave attack included dozens of air and sea 180 00:11:46,120 --> 00:11:47,439 Speaker 7: launched cruise missiles. 181 00:11:47,679 --> 00:11:51,720 Speaker 1: BBC News broadcast images of the devastation to the Western world. 182 00:11:52,280 --> 00:11:54,640 Speaker 6: There's no doubt about the damage that a month of 183 00:11:54,679 --> 00:11:56,600 Speaker 6: bombing has done to Yugoslavia. 184 00:11:57,040 --> 00:11:59,120 Speaker 1: Some people are saying it's reduced the country to the 185 00:11:59,200 --> 00:12:03,040 Speaker 1: level it was acted in nineteen forty five. The NATO 186 00:12:03,120 --> 00:12:07,480 Speaker 1: campaign helps end the wars. Miloshevich is arrested and charged 187 00:12:07,559 --> 00:12:10,640 Speaker 1: with war crimes in the Hague. He dies in prison 188 00:12:10,880 --> 00:12:15,920 Speaker 1: while still standing trial. ABC News reports that his death 189 00:12:16,480 --> 00:12:18,960 Speaker 1: robs his victims of a chance for justice. 190 00:12:19,080 --> 00:12:21,760 Speaker 6: An investigation is underway into what killed the man known 191 00:12:21,800 --> 00:12:24,640 Speaker 6: as the Butcher of the Balkans. Jailers and the Hague 192 00:12:24,679 --> 00:12:29,360 Speaker 6: found former Yugoslavian President Slovanon Melosovich dead in his cell today. 193 00:12:29,720 --> 00:12:32,880 Speaker 6: His death allows him to escape justice after four years 194 00:12:32,920 --> 00:12:34,160 Speaker 6: of his war crimes trial. 195 00:12:40,320 --> 00:12:43,760 Speaker 13: Here it is probably the place to say a few 196 00:12:43,800 --> 00:12:48,720 Speaker 13: words about the post Yugoslav War and especially with the 197 00:12:48,800 --> 00:12:49,920 Speaker 13: role of Serbia. 198 00:12:50,040 --> 00:12:53,760 Speaker 1: That's doctor Yana Hashamova, chair of the Department of Slavic 199 00:12:53,800 --> 00:12:57,640 Speaker 1: and East European Languages and Cultures at Ohio State University. 200 00:12:58,160 --> 00:13:02,560 Speaker 13: Serbia was a dominant somewhat similar to the position of 201 00:13:02,640 --> 00:13:07,000 Speaker 13: Russia in the Soviet Union. After the Yugoslav War, Serbia 202 00:13:07,360 --> 00:13:11,559 Speaker 13: lost that national identity of being the center of that 203 00:13:11,640 --> 00:13:17,439 Speaker 13: Federation found themselves in an unfavorable situation, found themselves victimized 204 00:13:17,480 --> 00:13:19,599 Speaker 13: by the West and NATO. 205 00:13:19,960 --> 00:13:23,200 Speaker 1: The resentment for the West is strong. The people of 206 00:13:23,240 --> 00:13:26,679 Speaker 1: Serbia are bitter about the NATO bombings and still feel 207 00:13:26,679 --> 00:13:29,640 Speaker 1: the effects of a decade of economic sanctions. 208 00:13:29,880 --> 00:13:33,080 Speaker 13: What was possible for them before the war was no 209 00:13:33,160 --> 00:13:37,640 Speaker 13: longer possible, meaning having free access to the West, abilities 210 00:13:37,640 --> 00:13:41,000 Speaker 13: to work. There was a resentment built to the West 211 00:13:41,360 --> 00:13:45,120 Speaker 13: with its riches and wealth and fleshy. 212 00:13:44,840 --> 00:13:52,520 Speaker 1: Lifestyle, isolation, lack of opportunity and simmering resentment. It could 213 00:13:52,520 --> 00:13:55,160 Speaker 1: be enough to turn a good man bad or a 214 00:13:55,200 --> 00:13:58,199 Speaker 1: woman for that matter. And when they do turn bad, 215 00:13:58,679 --> 00:14:01,440 Speaker 1: there is no better place to be than Niche, the 216 00:14:01,520 --> 00:14:05,040 Speaker 1: hometown of laden Boyana and Milan. 217 00:14:06,520 --> 00:14:09,880 Speaker 11: In the Serbia, and during nineties many people succeed in 218 00:14:10,040 --> 00:14:15,440 Speaker 11: getting a lot of money when some strong criminal groups 219 00:14:15,760 --> 00:14:19,240 Speaker 11: during the war. Tunish was on the cross road for 220 00:14:19,400 --> 00:14:20,600 Speaker 11: those criminal groups. 221 00:14:21,320 --> 00:14:25,760 Speaker 1: Gordana Bielatch is an investigative journalist based in Niche. 222 00:14:25,600 --> 00:14:29,480 Speaker 11: And they used when there was not that much official 223 00:14:29,520 --> 00:14:33,520 Speaker 11: control to create a safe route for them that they 224 00:14:33,520 --> 00:14:38,120 Speaker 11: could take drugs or anything wherever they wanted. 225 00:14:38,600 --> 00:14:40,280 Speaker 8: And the southern. 226 00:14:39,800 --> 00:14:44,320 Speaker 11: Serbia is close two different borders. That's why their route 227 00:14:44,600 --> 00:14:46,600 Speaker 11: it was through Niche. 228 00:14:47,400 --> 00:14:51,000 Speaker 1: So in a country decimated by war and shunned by 229 00:14:51,040 --> 00:14:54,960 Speaker 1: the world, the city of Niche becomes a crossroads between 230 00:14:55,040 --> 00:15:00,400 Speaker 1: east and West crime, an opportunity at bustling treating post 231 00:15:00,800 --> 00:15:14,520 Speaker 1: for smugglers and thieves. Despite his humble beginnings, Milan Lipoya 232 00:15:14,960 --> 00:15:19,280 Speaker 1: seems to thrive in post war Serbia. He's smart and 233 00:15:19,320 --> 00:15:23,720 Speaker 1: he's accepted into a prestigious university, but crime is all 234 00:15:23,720 --> 00:15:31,000 Speaker 1: around him. A Niche is just everywhere. Jolenos rich again controllers. 235 00:15:31,040 --> 00:15:35,600 Speaker 8: As soon as he turned the eighteen he started doing 236 00:15:35,680 --> 00:15:39,960 Speaker 8: little robberies mostly and the little boutique shops when he 237 00:15:40,080 --> 00:15:44,120 Speaker 8: was practically steal and branded clothing, which was very popular here. 238 00:15:44,680 --> 00:15:48,880 Speaker 1: Milan is growing up fast and his new lifestyle suits him. 239 00:15:49,200 --> 00:15:51,560 Speaker 8: As I was telling you, he was pretty chubby when 240 00:15:51,600 --> 00:15:54,960 Speaker 8: he was a teenager, so not very attractive to the girls. 241 00:15:55,200 --> 00:15:58,560 Speaker 8: But then he lost some weight and he was always 242 00:15:58,560 --> 00:16:02,080 Speaker 8: well dressed because he had all these designers clothes on 243 00:16:02,280 --> 00:16:05,760 Speaker 8: him that he was getting in Italy. So he became 244 00:16:05,800 --> 00:16:08,800 Speaker 8: even more popular with the girls them as he was 245 00:16:08,840 --> 00:16:10,200 Speaker 8: getting more mature. 246 00:16:10,880 --> 00:16:13,960 Speaker 1: For a while, he lives a double life student by 247 00:16:14,040 --> 00:16:18,560 Speaker 1: day thief by night. But Milan is developing a reputation 248 00:16:18,960 --> 00:16:23,200 Speaker 1: even beyond Serbia. By the time he's graduating high school. 249 00:16:23,560 --> 00:16:28,040 Speaker 1: A school trip with his classmates shows just how recognizable 250 00:16:28,080 --> 00:16:28,720 Speaker 1: he's become. 251 00:16:29,280 --> 00:16:33,200 Speaker 8: So in the nineties, there was a group of graduated 252 00:16:33,600 --> 00:16:37,440 Speaker 8: high school students. They went to their final school trip 253 00:16:37,800 --> 00:16:42,600 Speaker 8: in Verona and they went to one of the boutiques 254 00:16:42,960 --> 00:16:45,080 Speaker 8: just to check it out and to see some of 255 00:16:45,120 --> 00:16:50,560 Speaker 8: the most famous Italian designers close. And when a manager 256 00:16:50,600 --> 00:16:52,760 Speaker 8: of that shop, when he saw a group of the 257 00:16:52,840 --> 00:16:57,720 Speaker 8: Serbian students coming in, he calls security immediately because they 258 00:16:57,800 --> 00:17:01,760 Speaker 8: knew about Milaniapoya and there was actually a picture of 259 00:17:01,840 --> 00:17:06,000 Speaker 8: him on the wall, representing him as a criminal who 260 00:17:06,200 --> 00:17:09,280 Speaker 8: was doing all these robberies in Italian boutiques. 261 00:17:10,000 --> 00:17:14,520 Speaker 1: Meanwhile, Miladi Lazavich is quietly developing his own criminal reputation. 262 00:17:15,520 --> 00:17:18,840 Speaker 1: He learns the art of car theft, he apprentices in 263 00:17:18,920 --> 00:17:23,640 Speaker 1: home burglary and pickpocketing. Just like Milan, he shows natural 264 00:17:23,680 --> 00:17:27,520 Speaker 1: talent for it. By this time the late nineteen nineties, 265 00:17:28,040 --> 00:17:31,720 Speaker 1: a distinct two tiered hierarchy has emerged within the criminal 266 00:17:31,720 --> 00:17:34,000 Speaker 1: ecosystem of Niche. 267 00:17:34,160 --> 00:17:37,280 Speaker 14: Top of the chain in the crime was basically cigar smuggling. 268 00:17:37,720 --> 00:17:41,960 Speaker 1: That's investigative reporter Stevan doo Jinovich, founder and editor in 269 00:17:42,040 --> 00:17:46,680 Speaker 1: chief of the Crime and Corruption Reporting Network in Belgrade, Serbia. 270 00:17:46,840 --> 00:17:49,280 Speaker 14: Made strange, but I mean actually cigar smuggling was the 271 00:17:49,359 --> 00:17:51,920 Speaker 14: top deals that you can have. So the biggest organistrant 272 00:17:52,000 --> 00:17:55,760 Speaker 14: groups are actually patrolling chain of the cigarette smuggling, and 273 00:17:55,840 --> 00:17:58,639 Speaker 14: not everyone can really be involved in this. 274 00:17:59,520 --> 00:18:03,920 Speaker 1: Cigaret smuggling is a lucrative business and by necessity, those 275 00:18:04,040 --> 00:18:08,080 Speaker 1: running the operation are connected to larger international crime syndicates. 276 00:18:08,960 --> 00:18:12,639 Speaker 1: This criminal tier and niche becomes known for their flashy 277 00:18:12,720 --> 00:18:18,200 Speaker 1: cars and full body tattoos and for their violence. One 278 00:18:18,240 --> 00:18:21,840 Speaker 1: step down, the criminal ladder, a loose network of thieves 279 00:18:21,960 --> 00:18:25,080 Speaker 1: who work in the West and bring stolen goods and 280 00:18:25,160 --> 00:18:29,320 Speaker 1: money back to Serbia. They might not be violent, but 281 00:18:29,359 --> 00:18:34,679 Speaker 1: they're being actively recruited by violent people Yelena Zorich. 282 00:18:34,760 --> 00:18:38,639 Speaker 8: Again, they were looking for them in the local bars, 283 00:18:38,880 --> 00:18:43,320 Speaker 8: also even in prisons, in various sports club like boxing 284 00:18:43,359 --> 00:18:46,040 Speaker 8: club because they knew exactly what kind of people to 285 00:18:46,080 --> 00:18:46,600 Speaker 8: look for. 286 00:18:47,240 --> 00:18:52,200 Speaker 1: Like any good recruiter, these criminal organizations wanted high quality candidates, 287 00:18:52,440 --> 00:18:54,880 Speaker 1: people who were educated and well spoken. 288 00:18:55,520 --> 00:18:59,360 Speaker 8: They were not looking for the people who are using drugs, 289 00:18:59,400 --> 00:19:02,760 Speaker 8: for example, they were not interested in that that couldn't happen, 290 00:19:02,840 --> 00:19:06,200 Speaker 8: but people who are ready for the robberies. People who 291 00:19:06,240 --> 00:19:09,000 Speaker 8: are ready, they were like testing them. When they were 292 00:19:09,040 --> 00:19:12,879 Speaker 8: talking to potential new members of their clan, they were 293 00:19:12,920 --> 00:19:17,280 Speaker 8: paying attention if, for example, their hands were shaking or 294 00:19:17,280 --> 00:19:20,800 Speaker 8: their voice is shaking. So they were very selective in 295 00:19:20,920 --> 00:19:23,440 Speaker 8: choosing new people who want to work for them. 296 00:19:23,920 --> 00:19:27,600 Speaker 1: Ladon Lazarevich is the first to make the cad. He 297 00:19:27,720 --> 00:19:31,679 Speaker 1: goes pro. Melan Lepoyez brought in soon after, and the 298 00:19:31,760 --> 00:19:36,160 Speaker 1: two of them Meat and Boyana. Here's Alan Greenberg again. 299 00:19:37,560 --> 00:19:40,280 Speaker 9: She finishes university and she must have did really well 300 00:19:40,320 --> 00:19:42,240 Speaker 9: because she gets into one of the top law schools 301 00:19:42,240 --> 00:19:44,879 Speaker 9: in Serbia and she was founding her dream of becoming 302 00:19:44,880 --> 00:19:47,720 Speaker 9: a lawyer. Remember her teacher said that's what she always 303 00:19:47,760 --> 00:19:48,399 Speaker 9: wanted to become. 304 00:19:49,800 --> 00:19:53,400 Speaker 1: But this is postwards Serbia and creating a prosperous life 305 00:19:53,760 --> 00:19:57,560 Speaker 1: is incredibly difficult, even for an educated young professional. 306 00:20:01,080 --> 00:20:04,320 Speaker 9: No, clearly things don't go as planned. So this is 307 00:20:04,320 --> 00:20:08,119 Speaker 9: when Boyana she meets Maladin, and it's not long after 308 00:20:08,160 --> 00:20:11,359 Speaker 9: that that she drops out of law school. Practically before 309 00:20:11,359 --> 00:20:12,440 Speaker 9: it even begins. 310 00:20:14,200 --> 00:20:14,600 Speaker 3: Annoying. 311 00:20:14,680 --> 00:20:18,879 Speaker 1: He fell in love with the wrong guy helenosorig. 312 00:20:19,400 --> 00:20:22,840 Speaker 8: It's not that she had any specific background that turned 313 00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:25,639 Speaker 8: her into this, but she she fell in love with 314 00:20:25,680 --> 00:20:27,880 Speaker 8: the guy, and she just started doing it with him 315 00:20:28,320 --> 00:20:30,160 Speaker 8: because she was in love with him and she wanted 316 00:20:30,200 --> 00:20:33,240 Speaker 8: to help him, so she trusted him completely. 317 00:20:33,880 --> 00:20:38,280 Speaker 1: Pu Yama's relationship with Vladen Lazarevitch isn't the only factor though. 318 00:20:38,840 --> 00:20:41,240 Speaker 12: It's not just the fact that she fell in love. 319 00:20:41,280 --> 00:20:45,080 Speaker 12: It's also the fact that she immediately realized how easier 320 00:20:45,160 --> 00:20:49,119 Speaker 12: her life would be if she was involved with someone 321 00:20:49,240 --> 00:20:49,680 Speaker 12: like him. 322 00:20:50,080 --> 00:20:53,119 Speaker 8: She really wanted to be a lawyer, and she wanted 323 00:20:53,119 --> 00:20:56,680 Speaker 8: to be the one representing those criminals, but then she 324 00:20:56,760 --> 00:21:00,000 Speaker 8: realized when she met him that it was much easier 325 00:21:00,119 --> 00:21:02,760 Speaker 8: to hire a lawyer who would then represent you. 326 00:21:03,560 --> 00:21:06,680 Speaker 1: Buyenna comes to understand early on that being a criminal 327 00:21:06,800 --> 00:21:09,920 Speaker 1: in post civil war Serbia was the better career move. 328 00:21:10,400 --> 00:21:12,840 Speaker 1: If you had money, you could always hire a lawyer. 329 00:21:13,440 --> 00:21:16,800 Speaker 1: And having seen where true opportunity lay, these three young 330 00:21:16,840 --> 00:21:21,440 Speaker 1: people were developing their skill sets and putting together their team. 331 00:21:22,040 --> 00:21:25,159 Speaker 8: Maladin was the leader of that gang at the moment. 332 00:21:25,400 --> 00:21:29,880 Speaker 8: Boyana was Maladen's girlfriend, they were connected with Milan Yefuya 333 00:21:29,920 --> 00:21:33,199 Speaker 8: because pectically they were all working together, and then Milan 334 00:21:33,400 --> 00:21:38,160 Speaker 8: was very very close to Mladen during various side stated together. 335 00:21:38,200 --> 00:21:41,280 Speaker 1: And soon the three friends are ready to move up 336 00:21:41,320 --> 00:21:42,119 Speaker 1: to a new level. 337 00:21:46,200 --> 00:21:49,359 Speaker 15: In the middle of the triangular border of Germany, Austria 338 00:21:49,440 --> 00:21:53,080 Speaker 15: and Switzerland lies the treasure of the European Alps, the 339 00:21:53,160 --> 00:22:00,200 Speaker 15: Principality of Liechtenstein. Hardly anywhere else in Central Europe has 340 00:22:00,240 --> 00:22:04,320 Speaker 15: experienced such a rapid transformation from a dreamy agrarian state 341 00:22:04,720 --> 00:22:06,840 Speaker 15: into one of the wealthiest countries in the world. 342 00:22:09,200 --> 00:22:16,880 Speaker 1: Welcome to Liechtenstein, population thirty nine thousand, small, rich, exclusive, 343 00:22:17,440 --> 00:22:21,520 Speaker 1: and virtually crime free, which makes it the perfect location 344 00:22:21,880 --> 00:22:25,000 Speaker 1: for Laden, Bojana and Milan to pull off their first 345 00:22:25,119 --> 00:22:29,840 Speaker 1: major robbery together. They bring along a couple of trusted 346 00:22:29,920 --> 00:22:33,520 Speaker 1: colleagues to help, including a handsome twenty nine year old 347 00:22:33,520 --> 00:22:38,480 Speaker 1: Botanian named dushkopos Nan. As it happens, Dushko will also 348 00:22:38,600 --> 00:22:41,760 Speaker 1: help on another job a year later, in March of 349 00:22:41,840 --> 00:22:44,879 Speaker 1: two thousand and seven, at the Waffi Moon in Dubai. 350 00:22:45,600 --> 00:22:49,760 Speaker 1: After scounting targets in an upscale shopping district in Nichtenstein's 351 00:22:49,760 --> 00:22:53,840 Speaker 1: capital Vadutes. The gang settles on the Hoober watch and 352 00:22:53,960 --> 00:23:01,920 Speaker 1: jewelry shop. Robert Walner is a Liechtenstein prosecutor. 353 00:23:02,560 --> 00:23:06,960 Speaker 3: They held the shop assistant their gunpoints and they broke 354 00:23:07,080 --> 00:23:11,800 Speaker 3: into the glass lockers with a hammer, and they stole 355 00:23:12,040 --> 00:23:15,720 Speaker 3: a jewelry and cash and slit the whole thing. Talk 356 00:23:15,800 --> 00:23:19,120 Speaker 3: about four minutes, and then they left them a stolen car. 357 00:23:20,240 --> 00:23:24,359 Speaker 1: That's stolen car. You guessed it. It's an Audi just 358 00:23:24,400 --> 00:23:27,520 Speaker 1: like they'll use at the Waffy Mall. This time it's 359 00:23:27,560 --> 00:23:32,040 Speaker 1: an elegant blue A four. Everything about this robbery feels 360 00:23:32,080 --> 00:23:35,800 Speaker 1: like a dress rehearsal. A young gang writing their playbook 361 00:23:35,880 --> 00:23:38,640 Speaker 1: for the future. Though she might be new to the game, 362 00:23:39,080 --> 00:23:43,399 Speaker 1: Boyana plays her part like a pro. While the others 363 00:23:43,440 --> 00:23:47,000 Speaker 1: are loading up their bags with seven hundred thousand dollars 364 00:23:47,000 --> 00:23:50,000 Speaker 1: worth of watches. She's behind the wheel of the Audi 365 00:23:50,240 --> 00:23:54,560 Speaker 1: engine running. When the masked robbers comes sprinting out of 366 00:23:54,600 --> 00:23:58,040 Speaker 1: the boutique, Bojana already has her foot on the gas 367 00:23:59,040 --> 00:24:06,600 Speaker 1: and they're gone. The Liechtenstein police don't know what hit them. 368 00:24:06,760 --> 00:24:10,560 Speaker 3: Lietenstein is a low crime country, wet and often have 369 00:24:10,880 --> 00:24:14,520 Speaker 3: crimes committed like this. Obviously, our police are not so 370 00:24:14,960 --> 00:24:17,000 Speaker 3: used they're having this kind of criminal. 371 00:24:18,800 --> 00:24:22,760 Speaker 1: After their initial shock, local law enforcement leaps into action, 372 00:24:23,280 --> 00:24:27,960 Speaker 1: putting up roadblocks, deploying border guards, and notifying authorities in 373 00:24:28,000 --> 00:24:32,840 Speaker 1: neighboring countries. But the young Pink Panthers disappear without a trace, 374 00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:35,760 Speaker 1: well almost. 375 00:24:36,480 --> 00:24:40,760 Speaker 3: They're not the perfect Roberts. Police found the car in Switzerland, 376 00:24:40,960 --> 00:24:44,920 Speaker 3: and the DNA was found in the car and in 377 00:24:44,960 --> 00:24:45,399 Speaker 3: the shop. 378 00:24:46,320 --> 00:24:49,040 Speaker 1: It is this DNA that would come into play one 379 00:24:49,119 --> 00:24:53,800 Speaker 1: year later when Ron Nobel, an ambitious young American, becomes 380 00:24:53,840 --> 00:24:59,159 Speaker 1: director of Interpol. Nobel believes technology and cooperation are the 381 00:24:59,280 --> 00:25:03,199 Speaker 1: keys to stop criminals like the Pink Panthers, and he 382 00:25:03,520 --> 00:25:07,399 Speaker 1: just might be right, and the same DNA found in 383 00:25:07,440 --> 00:25:11,120 Speaker 1: an outing in Switzerland in two thousand and six would 384 00:25:11,160 --> 00:25:15,800 Speaker 1: eventually be connected to another heist over four thousand miles 385 00:25:15,840 --> 00:25:22,919 Speaker 1: away one year later in Dubai. Coming up next on 386 00:25:23,119 --> 00:25:28,600 Speaker 1: Infamous International, the Pink Panthers story, it's been open season 387 00:25:28,800 --> 00:25:32,200 Speaker 1: around the world for the Pink Panthers, but law enforcement 388 00:25:32,440 --> 00:25:34,280 Speaker 1: might finally be catching up to them. 389 00:25:34,840 --> 00:25:37,280 Speaker 9: The start of a manhunt, the cops learn about the 390 00:25:37,320 --> 00:25:40,600 Speaker 9: apartment they link DNA from the car and the apartment 391 00:25:40,680 --> 00:25:43,399 Speaker 9: to a bunch of suspects, including Milan le Poea. 392 00:25:43,720 --> 00:25:45,720 Speaker 8: Both of them, they were feeling that they would be 393 00:25:45,960 --> 00:25:49,719 Speaker 8: much safer in Serbia because once they come to Serbia, 394 00:25:50,240 --> 00:25:53,320 Speaker 8: definitely they will be protected from Dubai police. 395 00:25:53,640 --> 00:25:56,560 Speaker 1: But the police still have to combat the image the 396 00:25:56,640 --> 00:26:00,000 Speaker 1: Pink Panthers and the media have managed to create. 397 00:26:00,560 --> 00:26:04,880 Speaker 5: I think that this history created a figure of a 398 00:26:04,920 --> 00:26:07,120 Speaker 5: glamorous celebrity criminal. 399 00:26:07,320 --> 00:26:09,720 Speaker 1: When they were committing the robbery, they went on violin, 400 00:26:10,000 --> 00:26:13,000 Speaker 1: but when you have a weapon in your face sycolotically, 401 00:26:13,400 --> 00:26:16,280 Speaker 1: it was very violent for people. That's next time on 402 00:26:16,480 --> 00:26:33,400 Speaker 1: Infamous International, The Pink Panthers Story. Infamous International The Pink 403 00:26:33,440 --> 00:26:37,760 Speaker 1: Panthers Story was produced by best Case Studios in association 404 00:26:38,000 --> 00:26:42,320 Speaker 1: with Koda's Story, hosted by me Natalia ant Lava and 405 00:26:42,359 --> 00:26:48,120 Speaker 1: written by Katrina Wolfe, Adam Pinkis, Susanne Myers, and David Markowitz, 406 00:26:48,680 --> 00:26:52,960 Speaker 1: with help from Brent Katz and Matt Levin. For Best 407 00:26:52,960 --> 00:26:59,159 Speaker 1: Case Studios. Executive producer Adam Pinkers, Senior Producer David Markowitz, 408 00:27:00,040 --> 00:27:05,840 Speaker 1: U Katrina Wolfe, Associate producer Hannah Libovitz, Lockart and Consulting 409 00:27:05,920 --> 00:27:10,800 Speaker 1: Producers Julie Goldstein and Louis Spiegler for Koda. Story reporting 410 00:27:10,840 --> 00:27:15,840 Speaker 1: by Lane Greenberg with associate producer Rebecca Robinson. Edited and 411 00:27:15,960 --> 00:27:20,440 Speaker 1: sound designed by Gaylon Mullens and Max Michael Miller. Music 412 00:27:20,720 --> 00:27:26,080 Speaker 1: by Dave Harrington. Archival producers Mark Degora and Paul Dallas. 413 00:27:26,880 --> 00:27:31,480 Speaker 1: This has been an exactly right production. Executive producers Karen 414 00:27:31,560 --> 00:27:37,160 Speaker 1: Kilgareth Georgia hart Stark, and Daniel Kramer, with consulting producer 415 00:27:37,600 --> 00:27:38,320 Speaker 1: Kyle Ryan