Operations "Master" and "Truck" in the fight against tax and customs evasion

By order and coordination of two prosecutors from the Special Department for Organized Crime, Economic Crime and Corruption of the Prosecutor's Office of BiH, who are leading the investigations, several hundred police officers from SIPA, the Border Police of BiH and the Indirect Taxation Authority of BiH have been carrying out searches and arrests of a large number of suspects for criminal offenses of organized crime, customs and tax evasion, with corrupt elements, since the early morning hours. It is estimated that the damage to the budget of BiH amounts to several million.

By order of the prosecutors of the Prosecutor's Office of BiH, extensive operations codenamed "Master" and "Truck" are being carried out. The operations are being conducted in the areas of Sarajevo, Brčko and the Tuzla region and involve a large number of individuals and legal entities suspected of organized crime related to the illegal import of textiles from abroad into BiH, by committing criminal offenses of organized crime, tax and customs evasion, as well as corrupt criminal offenses of receiving and giving gifts or other benefits.

Evidence has been collected that the suspects committed criminal offenses continuously over a period of approximately 3 years, and that the amount of evaded tax and customs duties per truck reached tens of thousands of KM, so it is estimated that the budget of Bosnia and Herzegovina has been damaged by large monetary amounts through the mentioned organized crime, which certainly exceed several hundred thousand KM.

Field activities will be carried out during the day, after which the suspects who have been deprived of their liberty will be brought before the acting prosecutors, where they will be questioned and decisions will be made regarding further actions related to detention measures or prohibition measures for the suspects.

Operations "Master" and "Truck" are decisive activities of the prosecutorial, police and tax institutions of our country in the fight against criminal offenses that have elements of financial crime and corruption, which cause damage to all citizens of BiH.