Kosovo’s Police has made a substantial discovery of weaponry in the northern region of Kosovo, as announced by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Sveçla.

The operation unfolded in Zvecan, a municipality predominantly inhabited by Serbs in the northern part of Kosovo. During the operation, a residence was searched, with Minister Sveçla asserting that this location functioned as a “base for the arming of northern Kosovo”.

Sveçla revealed, “This particular house had been utilized for accumulating and distributing weapons to Serbian criminal groups.”

The operation yielded a significant cache of automatic firearms, ammunition, hand grenades, and explosives.

Remarkably, alongside local security institutions, representatives from KFOR (Kosovo Force, a NATO-led international peacekeeping force) were also present during the operation.

Minister Sveçla further emphasized that “step by step, the northern region is progressing toward normalcy”.

This incident marks one of several law enforcement actions against smuggling activities in the northern area.

A notable recent case in August saw the Kosovo Police confiscate over 1,200 rounds of ammunition in the village of Rudine, also situated in Zvecan.

In addition to addressing contraband concerns, authorities have previously undertaken operations in northern Kosovo targeting cryptocurrency activities, given that cryptocurrency mining is illegal within the territory of Kosovo.

The northern region of Kosovo experienced heightened tensions at the close of May when local residents voiced their opposition to newly elected Albanian mayors. These mayors had been elected in April, with elections that had seen a boycott by the Serbian population.

Following a period of increased unrest, Kosovo and the European Union reached an agreement in July. The agreement outlined steps to de-escalate the situation, including a reduction in the presence of the Kosovo Police in the northern region and the scheduling of new local elections in that area.