Members of the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) today, in cooperation with the officials of the Indirect Taxation Administration of Bosnia and Herzegovina, conducted searches of residential and auxiliary buildings and movable property at 19 locations in the area of Šamac, Donji Žabari, Gradačac, Banja Luka, Čelinac, Laktaši and Pale, as part of the operational action codenamed “Lan”, SIPA announced.
Fifteen persons were deprived of their liberty, due to the existence of grounds for suspicion that they had committed the criminal offenses of association for the purpose of committing criminal offenses and illegal circulation of excise goods, which are prescribed by the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The budget was damaged by 2.7 million BAM
After criminal processing and questioning as suspects, persons deprived of liberty will be handed over to the further jurisdiction of the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
During the search, about ten tons of dried leaf tobacco, 1,840 kilograms of finely cut tobacco, 3,955 packs of cigarettes, 90,500 pieces of hand-rolled cigarettes, four tobacco cutting machines, eight cigarette filling machines, eight hand-rolling cigarette machines, two scales for precise measurement, two cigarette compressors, a large quantity of empty cigarette filters, an automatic rifle, a frame for automatic a rifle, 120 bullets, three bombs, three packets of a powdery substance that is associated with the narcotic drug “speed”, as well as other items that can serve as evidence in further proceedings.
According to the press release, the Budget of Bosnia and Herzegovina was damaged in the amount of about 2.7 million convertible marks due to the aforementioned actions on the basis of unpaid excise duty.
