The Zemun Clan have infiltrated and worked alongside government agencies in Serbia such as the Security Information Agency (BIA). (Mladenovic , 2012) This agency was formerly known as the Special Operations Unit (JSO), and was founded by former President Slobodan Milosevic and Jovica Stanisic; it was founded to physically eliminate political opponents of President Milosevic, but was renamed after he lost the presidential election in 2000. The Zemun Clan was closely associated with one of the founders of the BIA, Jovica Stanisic.
The BIA provided "special training courses" to members of the Zemun Clan, and offered them political protection within Serbia. The BIA would go as far as sending police escorts to escort shipments of narcotics or weapons so that there would be no troubles at security checkpoints. Once Dr. Zoran Djindjic was elected, he tried to remove corrupt officials throughout the government and its agencies, things started to change. Criminal organizations within Serbia weren't as safe anymore. As a result, he was assassinated on March 3, 2003. The Zemun Clan was allegedly behind the assassination, along with officials of the BIA. .
Twelve members of the Zemun Clan were charged with a total of 137 years in prison. (Mladenovic , 2012) It has been argued that his assassination was caused by the struggle between organized criminal organizations and democratization of Serbia. President Djindjic was Serbia's hope of eliminating corruption and cracking down on organized crime. Djindjic's assassination halted any progress being made, as the current government has ties to former President Slobodan Milosevic, and is unlikely to strongly pursue criminal organizations. Mladenovic (2012) said the bullet that went through Djindjic's heart was aimed directly at the future of democracy in Serbia. Organized crime can be a direct threat to democracy and to the development of a nation.
