Police officers from the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) arrested four individuals today as part of an operational action codenamed “BIG,” carried out in the Sarajevo area.
The operation was conducted pursuant to an order from the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, based on grounds for suspicion that the suspects committed the criminal offense of “Illicit Trade” – as defined by the Criminal Code of BiH – as well as the criminal offense of “Unauthorized Production and Placing on the Market of Narcotic Drugs” – as defined by the Criminal Code of the Federation of BiH – SIPA announced.
During the operation, searches were conducted at six locations, resulting in the discovery and temporary seizure of mobile phones, computers, a quantity of medicinal products, and forged official identification cards. Among the seized items were five forged identification cards belonging to international organizations, as well as a forged EUROPOL police officer identification card containing the personal details and photograph of one of the suspects.
According to SIPA, there are grounds for suspicion that the arrested individuals traded in medicinal products without authorization from the Agency for Medicinal Products and Medical Devices of BiH.
Some of the discovered medicinal products are classified as psychotropic substances or as precursors that can be used in the production of narcotic drugs. These substances are included in the “List of Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances, Plants from which Narcotic Drugs can be Obtained, and Precursors,” which is an integral part of the Law on the Prevention and Suppression of the Abuse of Narcotic Drugs in BiH. Following criminal processing and questioning as suspects, the four individuals taken into custody will be handed over to the jurisdiction of the prosecutor in charge at the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the statement says.
