Kalesija: Arnel Smajlović detained for blackmail, wife suspected as accomplice

The judge for preliminary proceedings of the Municipal Court Kalesija accepted the proposal of the acting prosecutor and ordered a one-month detention for Arnel Smajlović (24) from Kalesija due to the existence of founded suspicion that he committed the criminal offense of blackmail in conjunction with the criminal offense from Article 73 of the Law on Weapons and Ammunition of the Tuzla Canton. The court also imposed restrictive measures on his wife A.S. (21), who is suspected of committing the criminal offense of blackmail as an accomplice to her husband.

"There is founded suspicion that the Smajlović spouses, from March 2025 to March 2026, demanded a certain amount of money from a female victim, using threats and blackmail. The victim, fearing that they would carry out their threats, paid certain amounts of money to the suspects every month, thus acquiring unlawful gain of approximately 10,500 KM over a year and causing damage to this woman in the same amount," stated the Tuzla Canton Prosecutor's Office.

On March 13, 2026, acting on the order of the Prosecutor's Office and the warrant of the Municipal Court Kalesija, members of the Criminal Police Sector of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Tuzla Canton searched the family home of Arnel Smajlović in Gornji Rancići near Kalesija. During the search, several firearms and a large quantity of ammunition of various calibers were found, for which the suspect did not have authorization from the competent police administration.

"After the search, the suspects were deprived of their liberty, criminal processing was carried out, and they were handed over to the Prosecutor's Office for jurisdiction along with a report on the committed criminal offense," the Prosecutor's Office stated.

The acting prosecutor issued an order to conduct an investigation and questioned the suspects. Investigative actions are still ongoing.