After several months of extensive investigation, conducted in accordance with the National Strategy for the Fight against Organized Crime and Corruption and the National Strategy for the Prevention of the Abuse of Narcotic Drugs in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina has successfully completed the investigation and filed the most comprehensive indictment in the field of the drug crime in the post-Dayton Bosnia and Herzegovina, in cooperation with its partner police and security institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina and partner institutions from the countries of the region and EU countries.
The accused are charged, as an organized criminal group, to have organized, planned and realized the smuggling of the marijuana – “skunk” narcotic drug on at least twenty-five (25) occasions in the period from 2016 to 2019, in agreement with other persons, usually in quantities of about 200 kilograms, and in some cases in quantities reaching 600 or 900 kilograms, and which was smuggled from the territory of Montenegro to Bosnia and Herzegovina, where it was stored or immediately smuggled further to the Republic of Croatia and EU countries.
Through the operational activities of the police authorities and in coordination with the Prosecutor’s Office, law enforcement agencies managed to detect, intercept and prevent the smuggling of at least two (2) tons of narcotic drugs on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, namely in the areas of East Sarajevo, Neum and Gradiška, as well as certain quantities of narcotic drugs on the territory of the Republic of Croatia.
During the search and deprivation of liberty, the money in the amount of about half a million BAM was seized from the suspects, together with a certain amount of counterfeit banknotes.
For the purpose of carrying out such smuggling, these accused persons hired vehicles of transport companies engaged in the trade of petroleum products (tanks) or other goods, in an attempt to cover up the smuggling of large quantities of narcotic drugs.
The Indictment refers to a total of seven accused persons, namely Ivan Antunović, born on 8 March 1969 in Stolac, Borislav Kovačević, born on 8 January 1978 in Trebinje, Ivan Cvijanović, born on 29 January 1987 in Sarajevo, Mario Vuletić, born on 7 September 1987 in Metković, in the Republic of Croatia, Jurica Vuletić, born on 10 October 1986 in Trebinje, residing in Metković, in the Republic of Croatia, Haris Hodžić, born on 16 October 1983 in Travnik and Nikola Bošković, born on 1 April 1963 in Stolac.
The Prosecutor’s Office will prove the allegations in the Indictment by summoning about twenty (20) witnesses and expert experts, of which a number of witnesses have been granted the procedural measure of protection, and it will offer several hundred pieces of evidentiary material.
The Indictment has been forwarded to the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina for confirmation.
