UIO BiH and SIPA: Fight against illegal tobacco trade, searches at six locations

Officers of the Indirect Taxation Authority, in cooperation with officers of the State Investigation and Protection Agency – SIPA, launched early this morning a joint operation codenamed “LIST 1” aimed at suppressing the illegal tobacco trade in Bosnia and Herzegovina, reports the Bosnian news agency Patria.

- Field activities are being carried out at six locations: Tuzla, Bijeljina, Srebrenik, Brčko, Arizona Market and Sarajevo. During the day, more than ten individuals are expected to be brought in for intelligence interviews in Tuzla, for whom evidence had been collected in the earlier period that they were engaged in the illegal tobacco trade in Bosnia and Herzegovina. More than 50 officers of the Indirect Taxation Authority and SIPA are participating in the operation “List 1”, which is a continuation of the operation “List” carried out in mid-July 2015, when about 35 tons of tobacco and several tobacco cutting machines were seized, which were being illegally sold in BiH - the UIO BiH announced.

The acting prosecutor of the Prosecutor's Office of BiH is also on the ground, together with the team in Tuzla, the Prosecutor's Office of BiH announced.

The operation involves searches related to suspected perpetrators of criminal acts of organized crime, smuggling and unauthorized trade in excise products.

According to collected evidence, the suspected organized group, in the period from March to October this year, carried out smuggling and distribution for further sale of several tons of cut tobacco, on which neither tax nor excise duties were paid, and which was sold at several locations throughout BiH, thereby damaging the budget of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the amount of about 1.2 million KM.

During the investigation, evidence was collected that the suspects obtained tools and equipment for cutting and repackaging tobacco, and carried out its transport, smuggling and sale at several locations throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as smuggling and sale in the territory of the Republic of Croatia, and significant cooperation was achieved with the judiciary and police of Croatia in this case.

According to collected evidence, the smuggling and sale of at least 15 tons of cut tobacco was carried out, whereby the perpetrators obtained significant illegal property gain.

The Prosecutor's Office of BiH, together with partner agencies, continues the fight against all types of criminal acts that cause damage to the budget and all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in line with the improvement of tax and fiscal discipline required of our country on the path towards the EU.

Members of the Ministry of Interior of Sarajevo Canton are also participating in the implementation of today's activities. Thus, police officers of the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) and members of the Indirect Taxation Authority of BiH (UIO) started early this morning (14.10.2015) the operation codenamed “List 1” due to organized crime, which is being carried out in cooperation with members of the Ministry of Interior of Tuzla Canton, the Ministry of Interior of Sarajevo Canton, the Ministry of Interior of Republika Srpska and the Brčko District Police.