Four Persons Indicted for Smuggling of Undeclared Goods and Trafficking of Excise Products

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The Prosecutor of the Special Department for Organized Crime, Economic Crime and Corruption has filed an indictment against four persons, who are charged with having, during 2017, become members of an organized group for smuggling and distribution of undeclared goods, and on several occasions smuggled excise goods - cigarettes, from the territory of Serbia and Montenegro into the territory of BiH, as well as smuggled larger quantities of various types of cigarettes from BiH into the territory of Croatia, which they sold to persons known to them, thereby obtaining substantial illegal property gain and causing damage to the budget and citizens of BiH.

The accused are:

1.       Petreš Nenad, born in 1973 in Banja Luka

2.       Pećanac  Predrag aka “Draško“, born in 1965 in Drvar

3.       Hadžiavdić Mustafa, aka “Staf“, born in 1966 in Tuzla

4.       Despenić Marijana, born in 1976 in Banja Luka

According to the indictment, the accused used several passenger motor vehicles - cars, some of which had specially built compartments and hiding places for smuggling goods across the border, to commit the criminal offenses.

On several occasions, the accused were discovered and prevented from smuggling by police officers of the Border Police of BiH.

The accused are charged with having committed the criminal offenses of organizing a group of people or an association for smuggling or distribution of undeclared goods under Article 215, Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code of BiH, the extended criminal offense of smuggling under Article 214, Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code of BiH, and the extended criminal offense of illegal trade in excise products under Article 210a, Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code of BiH.

The indictment has been forwarded for confirmation to the Court of BiH.