This morning, police officers of the Border Police of Bosnia and Herzegovina started an operation codenamed “Pyramid”, whose goal is to prevent organized smuggling of migrants.
Searches are carried out at several locations in Unsko-Sanska, Zenica-Doboj County and Sarajevo County, at a total of 16 locations in Bihać, Cazin, Breza, Visoko, Sarajevo, Kakanj and Velika Kladuša.
So far, 14 persons have been found who are suspected of having committed the criminal offense of “Organizing a group or association to commit the criminal offense of smuggling migrants” from Article 189a of the Criminal Code of BiH, and in connection with the criminal offense of “Trafficking in persons” from Article 189 of the Criminal Code of BiH, which were part of an international organized criminal group and who, in the last six months, tried to smuggle or smuggled over 600 people, including over 100 minors, through the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina
According to preliminary data, this international organized crime group, in the past six months, made a financial profit of more than six million convertible marks.
The activities carried out by the organizational unit of the BiH Border Police for the prevention of cross-border organized crime are carried out together with the Directorate of Criminal Police of the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Croatia and EUROPOL, under the supervision of the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH. Today’s support in the implementation, in which more than 150 police officers participate, was provided by the police officers of the MUP of the Una-Sana County, while during the investigation, continuous support to the Border Police of BiH was provided by the Intelligence and Security Agency of BiH and the Service for Affairs with Foreigners.
The Border Police of BiH continuously continues to take measures to prevent the commission of criminal offenses of people smuggling, especially against organized criminal groups. In addition to the aforementioned activities, during the past and the first three months of this year, police officers of the BiH Border Police, due to the existence of grounds for suspicion that they committed 110 criminal acts of human smuggling, submitted 83 official reports against 177 persons to the competent prosecutor’s offices.
