The police arrested 22 people in several Serbian cities on Thursday, as part of a regional police operation.

"The operation continues," police chief Milorad Veljovic has told Tanjug. The arrests were made in Belgrade, Pancevo, Subotica, Novi Becej and Novi Pazar, Veljovic stated. The suspects were arrested at around 20 at approximately 6 a.m. CET on Thursday, as part of a regional police operation.

The operation is conducted by SBPOK and the Office of the Prosecutor for Organized Crime, who investigate financial crime, the Blic daily website stated.

Fourteen heads and owners of private companies and 8 customs officers were arrested, including the leader of the group, Zarko Radonjic, owner of the company Moravex from Subotica, and relative of Mufti Muamer Zukorlic Nermin Smailovic, who lives in Novi Pazar.

The arrested are suspected of importing merchandise from the EU and lowering the price of the goods in coordination with customs officers, Blic reported.

The police are currently searching 45 different locations throughout Serbia. The arrested include Customs Administration employees Petar Rnic, Goranka Petricevic, Pero Stevic, Svetlana Raguz, Slavko Nincevic, Dragan Agatonovic, Milan Sujic and Branislav Kecman.

Earlier on Thursday, the Customs Administration of the Serbian Ministry of Finance stated that an organized crime group was tracked down, comprising customs officers, who illegally obtained assets through abuse of office thus damaging the state budget by a few millions.

This crime group was identified after months of operative work of the Serbian Interior Ministry, the Counter-Organized Crime Service and the Customs Administration of the Republic of Serbia, coordinated by the Special Prosecution's Office for Organized Crime.

The Customs Administration decided to assume an active role in combating organized crime and corruption in the future, and this case is a good indicator that the best results are made through joint work and cooperation of all state legislative bodies, the statement said.