Indictment Raised Against Seven Individuals in 'Golub' Case with Evidence from Sky Apps, Including a Member of the Border Police of BiH

(Patria) - The Prosecutor of the Special Department for Organized Crime, Economic Crime and Corruption has filed an indictment covering defendants who are citizens of BiH, a citizen of Montenegro, and one member of the Border Police of BiH, who is charged with corrupt activities and aiding organized crime structures.

The defendants are charged with organized crime, linked to international drug trafficking and other criminal offenses. The illegal property gain is estimated at over one million KM.

The defendants are:

1. Dragan Gajić, born in 1987 in Nikšić, citizen of Montenegro, previously convicted,
2. Blaženko Rašević, born in 1978 in Sarajevo, citizen of BiH and Serbia,
3. Žarko Joknić, born in 1977 in Foča, citizen of BiH,
4. Vlatko Blažević, born in 1975 in Travnik, citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Croatia,
5. Nikola Jovančić, born in 1990 in Slovenia, citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina,
6. Šaban Kudo, born on 03.11.1969 in Foča, citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina, police officer of the Border Police of BiH
7. Selvedin Selimović, born in 1976 in Zenica, citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The defendants are charged with, in the period from 2019 to 2022, acting as an organized criminal group led by the first defendant Gajić, communicating and arranging illegal activities via encrypted phones with SKY ECC applications, participating in the international smuggling of large quantities of the narcotic drug “marijuana-skunk”, which was on several occasions, in large quantities, smuggled from the territory of Montenegro into Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Prosecutor's Office of BiH and partner law enforcement agencies have successfully discovered and identified the codes as well as the usernames that the defendants used on protected applications.

The narcotic drug was most often smuggled into BiH in the area of the municipality of Gacko, and the accused member of the Border Police of BiH is charged with, through corrupt actions, for monetary compensation, aiding members of the organized criminal group by conducting surveillance, reconnaissance, and reporting on the movements of Border Police of BiH members, so that the defendants could carry out the smuggling of narcotic drugs unimpeded outside border crossings.

After being brought into BiH, the narcotic drug was stored and further transported for smuggling to the territory of Croatia and further towards EU countries.

According to the collected evidence, the defendants smuggled at least about 3,700 kg of the narcotic drug “marijuana-skunk”, of which about 1,200 kg was found and seized in separate operations, thereby gaining illegal property gain of at least 554,850 euros, or about 1,081,957 KM.

The defendants are charged with criminal offenses of organized crime, unauthorized trafficking in narcotic drugs, receiving and giving gifts or other forms of benefit, as well as criminal offenses of arson and illegal possession of weapons or explosive materials.

The prosecution will prove the allegations of the indictment by calling 61 witnesses and experts and submitting more than 350 pieces of material evidence, including evidence obtained through international legal assistance.

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