Operation "Fugitive": Five individuals apprehended

(Patria) - Police officers of the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) today (10/22/2024) carried out the "Fugitive" operation in the area of Brod.

Searches were conducted at five locations and five individuals were apprehended on suspicion of committing the criminal offenses of "Organized Crime," "Human Smuggling," and "Organizing a Group or Association for the Commission of the Criminal Offense of Migrant Smuggling" as prescribed by the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The apprehended individuals will be taken to SIPA premises during the day for criminal processing and questioning as suspects, and their further status will be decided by the acting prosecutor within the legal deadline.

The "Fugitive" operation is the result of several months of work by police officers of SIPA and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Croatia, achieved through EUROPOL and with the mediation of the Zebra operational group.

The apprehended individuals are suspected of being members of an organized crime group that operated in the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina and which, in the previous period, smuggled approximately 100 individuals of Turkish, Syrian, Iraqi, and Chinese origin through the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina into the Republic of Croatia, thereby gaining significant unlawful property benefits.

Temporary seizure of items that may serve as evidence in criminal proceedings was also carried out.

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

Furthermore, during the realization of the said operation, cooperation was established with police officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Srpska.