SIPA

This morning (14/10/2015) – police officials of the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) and members of the Indirect Tax Administration of B&H (ITA) started the operation codenamed “List 1” in cooperation with police officials of Tuzla Canton MoI, Sarajevo Canton MoI, Republika Srpska MoI and Brčko District Police. The activities were carried out upon orders of the Court B&H and Prosecutor’s Office B&H. This operation is a follow-up of the operation “List” carried out in July this year.

Searches of facilities in ten locations are underway in the area of Tuzla, Bijeljina, Srebrenik, Gradačac, Brčko, Sarajevo and Istočno Sarajevo under suspicion of criminal offence under Article 250 of the CC BH “Organised Crime” in conjunction with criminal offence under Article 210a. of the CC BH “Illicit Trafficking in Excise Goods” in conjunction with Article 29 of the CC BH (Co-perpetration).

Members of the organised criminal group are suspected of acquiring illicit proceeds from unauthorised selling of cut tobacco without excise stamps and avoiding obligatory excise duty payment in the period March-October 2015.  The prime suspect is suspected of having purchased leaf tobacco, organised cutting, processing and packaging in different quantities and selling to intermediaries who then placed the tobacco on the market.

According to preliminary estimates, at least 15 thousand kilos of cut tobacco was sold in the above period which caused a damage to the B&H budget in the mount of around 1.200.000 BAM and illicit proceeds in the amount of over 80 thousands BAM.   

More information will be published during the day.