BARCELONA has become the latest battleground in a bloody dispute between two rival Balkan mafias, with two people already killed in a series of shootings.
The ongoing conflict between the Kavac and Skaljari clans has now reached the streets of Spain.
The two Montenegrin organisations, involved in cocaine trafficking, money laundering, extortion and murder, have been at war for years.
In just nine months, four shootings linked to the dispute have taken place.
The shootings have so far claimed two lives, one from each clan, and left two members of the Skaljari wounded.
The latest attack unfolded on Tuesday afternoon at around 4pm, when two armed individuals approached a man on a terrace from behind and fired at least five shots.Â
The victim, identified as Krsto Vujic, a Montenegrin wanted by Interpol, was rushed to hospital in a critical condition.
The injured man belongs to the Skaljari clan and is believed to be involved in the murder of another man in 2020.
Police believe the shooting was a targeted execution linked to the ongoing war between the two clans.
The conflict traces back to a dispute over a missing shipment of cocaine in the port of Valencia, which triggered a cycle of revenge killings that has claimed dozens of lives.
Barcelona first felt the impact of the conflict in July, when Kavac member Filip Knezevic was shot dead as he entered his home on Consell de Cent.
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Days later, on August 2, Skaljari member Predrag Vujosevic was shot multiple times while walking his dog in an apparent act of revenge.
In December, another killing followed in Castelldefels, where Skaljari member Millan Milic was shot dead at close range on Calle Doctor Fleming.
Overall, the conflict has claimed at least 60 deaths.Â
Despite multiple investigations, no arrests have been made in connection with the recent shootings.
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