International cigarette smuggler Boris Ivelja: 'We bought Zoran Galić a car to inform us about investigations'

“Bago suggested to me that perhaps it wouldn't be a bad idea to give Zoran Galić a gift because he might be useful to us, considering we had information that the Border Police were conducting certain investigations and checks against me, Ivica Bago, and other individuals associated with me in connection with cigarette smuggling. We believed that Zoran Galić could help us by possibly providing us with some information about the proceedings and cases the Border Police had against us, so we decided to repay him in advance in some way so that he would eventually provide some information in the future. Bago then suggested that we buy Zoran a car and proposed a VW Passat, which he had ready for sale, and sent me photos of it. As far as I remember, the vehicle was dark blue or black. Bago is in the car sales business, so he understands it, and he told me it would be good if we split the cost of the vehicle in half, and he said the vehicle was worth 14,000 euros. I agreed, and I really can't remember now whether I paid that amount of 7,000 euros, which was my share, to Bago in cash, or if we compensated my part through some other deal, but in any case, I fulfilled my part of the obligation. I also asked Bago via the SKY application if Zoran Galić would be aware of this, in the sense of whether he would know that I was also participating in the purchase of the car, to which Bago replied that he would. After that, Bago sent Zoran my full name when explaining that I also participated in this gift. After some time, Bago informed me that he had handed over the car to Zoran. I must also emphasize, and I state this responsibly, that Zoran Galić never helped me personally, nor did I receive any information from Zoran Galić, and whether Bago had any benefits from this arrangement is unknown to me”.

This is part of the statement given by international cigarette smuggler Boris Ivelja to the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina, admitting that he bribed Zoran Galić, former director of the Border Police and former deputy director of SIPA, to protect them from future investigations.
Zoran Galić is currently in Croatia, where he fled after the BiH Prosecutor's Office opened an investigation against him for corruption. Croatian authorities refuse to extradite Galić, who was filmed on a beach in Makarska during the May Day holidays.

Istraga.ba revealed last year how cigarette smugglers from Herzegovina bribed the then director Galić. Their claims were based on Sky correspondence from Boris Ivelja from Trebinje and Ivica Bago from Grude. According to Sky correspondence, Galić received the car from criminals in 2021. This criminal group, according to Boris Ivelja's confession, procured cigarettes in Montenegro and then transported them to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“We most often smuggled cigarettes by exploiting the less guarded border area between Montenegro, where we procured cigarettes, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the area of the village of Vrbica, municipality of Bileća, and then sold them further. As for further sales, we mostly sold them to Banja Luka, or the cigarettes went, in smaller quantities, towards West Herzegovina, and as far as I know, they then sold those cigarettes further from West Herzegovina, but I don't know where. Regarding West Herzegovina, I communicated with Ivica Bago and Stjepan Perić via the SKY application, and with them, I arranged the sale of cigarettes, in such a way that the Montenegrin Siniša would drive the cigarettes to the agreed location, and then Ivica Bago or Stjepan Perić, or people they sent, would come to pick up the cigarettes. Most often, they did not pay for the cigarettes immediately, but we would settle the amounts with them. Regarding the deals with Banja Luka, I can say that in this cigarette business, we dealt with Veselko Ducanović, Stevo Šaul, and as far as I remember, very little with Kočić Slobodan. I know they all used the SKY application, and sometimes they communicated directly with me; mostly their communication was with Montenegrin Siniša. Regarding Kočić Slobodan, I know that a few years ago, I don't know exactly when, he was arrested and a large quantity of cigarettes without excise stamps was confiscated from him, but I can responsibly tell you that he did not procure those cigarettes from me, and according to my information at the time, he procured the cigarettes from Šaul Stevan, and I don't know where he procured those cigarettes from,” stated Ivelja.

It is precisely this group, Sky correspondence reveals, that decided to gift the then director of the BiH Border Police a car. Thus, Sky recorded how certain members of the Border Police informed Ivelja about the locations of police patrols and when operations were being conducted. Often, the link between police officers and Boris Ivelja was the bus driver Siniša Crnogorac. The main police associate of Boris Ivelja in the Trebinje area was border police officer Blagoje Milović. Here is one of the correspondences between Siniša Crnogorac and police officer Blagoje Milović regarding the deployment of border police officers between BiH and Montenegro.

Siniša Crnogorac: Sick tomorrow, who will be there
Blagoje Milović: Davidović out, Budalić in
Crnogorac: Where are they putting them more
Milović: ha, ha, ha Here we go
Crnogorac: Can you see who is on duty tomorrow
Milović: I'm not there tomorrow, I'm going up.

We will write about the criminal activities of border police officer Blagoje Milović in the coming days. Because now we return to Zoran Galić. What Boris Ivelja is in eastern Herzegovina, Ivica Bago is in western Herzegovina. SKY shows the connections between Bago and Ivelja, as well as the connections between Ivica Bago and Zoran Galić.

According to available information, in 2014, Croatian USKOK identified Ivica Bago as the organizer of a group that included Croatian police officers involved in organized crime, evasion of customs supervision as part of criminal association, abuse of office and authority, and incitement to abuse.'

In April last year, Ivica Bago was arrested again near Grude while attempting to enter Croatia. USKOK suspected him of 'economic offenses, tax evasion, and forgery of official documents'. However, a month later, Bago was released on bail of 300,000 euros and had been in BiH since then. Therefore, he is a criminal with many years of experience. However, this did not prevent Zoran Galić, as the director of the BiH Border Police, from closely cooperating with Bago. Thus, Galić informed Bago about the details of tenders in the Border Police as well as details about operations. Here is what was recorded in the Sky application when Bago's encrypted messages were unpacked. The conversation took place on October 12, 2020.

Ivica Bago: Forgot to tell you. I was with that guy from dega (Border Police, former DGS). He will inform me a day in advance. This week there is an operation in Foča, so be careful that nothing happens there.

Boris Ivelja: It could happen

Ivica Bago: The tender will be announced in a month. He will inform me the night before. He doesn't know, he will only be the team leader for searching a specific location that they will give him later.

Boris Ivelja. Yes. Cigarettes.

It is evident that Bago had contact with someone from the Border Police. However, in this case, it is not about Zoran Galić, then director of the BiH Border Police, who, in the meantime, became deputy director of SIPA in February 2023. However, other correspondences confirm that Galić, to whom Ivelja and Bago gifted a car, coordinated everything. Moreover, photos of correspondence between Zoran Galić and Ivica Bago also appear in Sky. This is a correspondence between Boris Ivelja and Ivica Bago from February 9, 2021.

Ivica Bago: Hey. Zoran Galić contacted me today saying he wants to change his car. He would take a Passat like yours, I have one from '15 here. Are you okay with us gifting it to him? And I would tell him it's from all of us, it cost me around 14,000!

Boris Ivelja: Whatever you want, will he know who it's from

Ivica Bago: Of course

While corresponding with Boris Ivelja via Sky, he sends his WhatsApp correspondence with an unknown person in which a photo of the car to be given to Zoran Galić can be seen.

The photo shows that it is a Passat car, registered in Imotski, Republic of Croatia. Bago states that he will bring the car only when they say so.

Seven days later, Bago sends a message to Ivelja stating – “I'm driving the car to that guy on Thursday”.

Two days later, specifically on February 18, 2021, at 11:39 AM, Bago informs Ivelja via Sky that he has handed over the car and that he gave Ivelja's details to Zoran Galić to check if anyone was investigating him. After that, Bago sends his correspondence with Zoran Galić, which shows that the director of the Border Police accepted the car.

Zoran Galić writes to Ivica Bago that there is some small change left in the ashtray in the car.

“Never mind, I forgot. Don't come back for that, put it in the limousine. Thank you very much, I hope you will be satisfied. If by any chance a spare key comes, I'll let you know,” Bago replied.

“Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Once more, your name, then delete,” Galić wrote.

According to available information, the car was registered to Marijana Bago, Ivica Bago's wife, until February 18, 2021. After that, it was registered to Anita Galić. Zoran Galić crossed the border between BiH and Croatia at least once in this car.