Operation "Algol": Four individuals arrested

(Patria) - Police officers of the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) yesterday (28.10.2024) carried out the operational action "Algol" in the area of Bihać.

Searches were conducted at two locations and four individuals, foreign nationals, were arrested on suspicion of committing the criminal offenses of "Human Smuggling" and "Organizing a Group or Association for the Commission of the Criminal Offense of "Migrant Smuggling" as stipulated by the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The arrested individuals were taken to SIPA premises for criminal processing and questioning as suspects, after which two individuals were taken to the Immigration Center in Istočno Sarajevo by order of the acting prosecutor, while two individuals were released.

The operational action "Algol" is the result of several months of cooperation between police officers of SIPA and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Croatia, which was achieved through EUROPOL and with the mediation of the operational group Zebra.

The arrested individuals are suspected of being members of an organized crime group that operated in the area of Bosnia and Herzegovina and which, since July 2024, has smuggled over 250 individuals of Turkish or Kurdish origin through the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina into the Republic of Croatia and further towards the interior of the European Union, thereby illegally acquiring property benefits exceeding 100,000 euros.

Items that may serve as evidence in criminal proceedings were also temporarily seized.

The aforementioned activities were carried out by verbal order of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina and under the supervision of the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Furthermore, during the implementation of the said action, cooperation was established with police officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Una-Sana Canton and the Service for Foreigners' Affairs.