Members of the Gorica Unit of the Border Police of Bosnia and Herzegovina prevented the smuggling of 28 foreign nationals.
The smuggling attempt was uncovered yesterday during state border surveillance in the border zone near Posušje, following the inspection of two passenger vehicles—a Mercedes and a Passat—bearing Bosnian license plates and driven by citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Border Police of BiH announced.
According to the report, upon spotting the Border Police officers, the foreign nationals fled into the forest; a subsequent search of the area led to their discovery in highly inaccessible terrain. They were identified as citizens of the Republic of Turkey, consisting of 15 adults and 13 minors.
Due to reasonable grounds to suspect that the criminal offense of human smuggling had been committed, the duty prosecutor at the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH was notified. Acting on the prosecutor’s instructions, the drivers were questioned as suspects, and the vehicles, mobile phones, cash, and other evidentiary materials—potentially relevant to criminal proceedings—were seized.
A report regarding the criminal offense of human smuggling will be submitted to the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH against the Bosnian citizens. Members of the Service for Foreigners’ Affairs of BiH were also notified about the incident; subsequently, 28 Turkish nationals—along with a proposal for their expulsion from the territory of BiH—were handed over to the Service for Foreigners’ Affairs for further processing, the statement reads.
