SIPA arrests Afghan who led migrant smuggling group, they earned over 100,000 KM

(Patria) - Police officers of the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) today, as part of the ongoing operational action "Algol", conducted a search at one location in the Sarajevo area and deprived one person, a citizen of Afghanistan, of liberty, on suspicion of having committed the criminal offenses of "People 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 Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina issued an oral order for the search of the person, apartment, other premises, and movable property of one suspect. During the execution of the said order, nine illegal migrants, citizens of Afghanistan, were found in the residential building, one of whom was deprived of liberty on suspicion of having committed the aforementioned criminal offenses, i.e., that in the period since July 2024, together with other citizens of Afghanistan, Georgia, and Azerbaijan, they engaged in organized migrant smuggling from Bosnia and Herzegovina to the Republic of Croatia and further to other EU countries.

The deprived person will, after criminal processing and examination as a suspect, be handed over to the further jurisdiction of the Service for Foreigners' Affairs.

Also, eight persons found during the search were handed over to the jurisdiction of the Service for Foreigners' Affairs.

In the period since July 2024, the organized group for people smuggling, of which the deprived person is a member, smuggled over 250 illegal migrants across the border, predominantly of Turkish or Kurdish origin, thereby obtaining illegal material gain in the amount of over 100,000 euros.

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

Also, during the implementation of the said action, cooperation was achieved with the Service for Foreigners' Affairs.