Sarajevo resident indicted for smuggling 180 kilograms of tobacco

(Patria) - The prosecutor of the Special Department for Organized Crime, Economic Crime and Corruption of the Prosecutor's Office of BiH has filed an indictment against Predrag Jovanović, born in 1972 in Sarajevo, previously convicted, a citizen of BiH.

The accused is charged with illegally acquiring a larger quantity of excise goods - tobacco, which was not marked with control and tax stamps in the manner prescribed by the tax legislation of BiH, with the intention of placing the tobacco on the illegal market.

"According to the indictment, the accused was transporting cut tobacco in the amount of approx. 180 kg, for which he did not possess the necessary documentation, in a passenger motor vehicle and, while driving the said vehicle in the area of Olovo, was controlled by police officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the KS, during which the subject tobacco was found and confiscated," the Prosecutor's Office stated.

The amount of evaded excise duties for the mentioned quantity of tobacco amounts to approximately 25,000 KM, and the illegal trade of large quantities of tobacco causes damage to the budget and all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, while perpetrators of criminal offenses gain large amounts of illegal property benefits.

The accused is charged with committing the criminal offense of illegal trade in excise products in an attempt under Article 210a in conjunction with Article 26 of the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

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