Montenegro’s Police Directorate executed coordinated raids across 11 northern towns on 17 April, seizing weapons, narcotics and two armored vehicles. One of those cars—a BMW X5—was registered to “NP”, whom officers described as “a high‑ranking member of an organised crime group.”
Multiple law‑enforcement sources later confirmed the initials belong to former Minnesota Timberwolves center Nikola Peković.
BasketNews quickly amplified the Montenegrin report, saying police records list Peković as a member of the Šarić crime organisation, long considered one of the Balkans’ most powerful cocaine‑smuggling networks. Serbian outlets carried similar headlines on Thursday, framing the 39‑year‑old as the clan’s newest “soldier” or even “capo.”
The former center’s relationship with Duško Šarić (younger brother of alleged drug baron Darko Šarić) is hardly secret. In a 2017 interview with Blic, Peković called Duško his kum (god‑brother), insisting the friendship was purely personal and “without business interests.” He acknowledged baptising Duško’s son and said he was unconcerned by the family’s legal battles. Local business registries nevertheless show the two men briefly co‑owned Budva’s “Mediteran” hotel complex and the famed open‑air nightclub Top Hill.
Darko Šarić was sentenced to 15 years for smuggling nearly six tonnes of cocaine, but the 2018 verdict was later annulled; he now faces retrial on laundering and murder‑plot charges. The clan’s core business, prosecutors allege, is moving South‑American cocaine through West‑Balkan ports into the EU. Investigations have sprawled across Serbia, Montenegro, Greece and Spain over the past decade.
Peković earned roughly $60 million during six NBA seasons (2010‑16) with Minnesota, adding EuroLeague titles with Partizan and Panathinaikos before that. Chronic foot injuries forced a 2017 retirement, after which he poured money into real estate, hospitality and nightlife along the Adriatic coast.
As of now, prosecutors have not indicted Peković; police merely cited him in an “operational intelligence” note. Montenegrin law allows temporary seizure of property linked to organised crime while ownership is vetted.
Peković, who currently serves as vice‑president of Serbia’s historic club Partizan, has not issued a statement regarding this week’s raids. In past interviews he brushed off insinuations, quipping that his on‑court nickname “The Godfather” was “just marketing”.
