SIPA

Police officials of the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) completed the criminal processing of 14 individuals, deprived of liberty yesterday (11/2/2016) in the operation codenamed “Lištica”, after which nine individuals were released last night in accordance with the instructions of the Acting Prosecutor, while five individuals identified by initials ZM (1977), SČ (1987), GM (1979), LJČ (1968) and MK (1958) will be handed over to the Prosecutor’ Office B&H during the day for further proceedings. A number of individuals were questioned as witnesses.

SIPA will submit reports on execution of orders to the Prosecutor’s Office B&H and Court B&H, and the activities in this case continue intensively with the aim of shedding light on the criminal offences and documenting illicit activities of the suspects.  

Police officials of SIPA deprived these individuals of liberty due to grounded suspicion of having committed the criminal offence of organised crime in conjunction with criminal offences of illicit trade in excise products, unauthorised storage of goods, tax evasion or fraud and money laundering. It is estimated that the members of the organised criminal group, through their illicit operations, sold at least 55 tonnes of tobacco within the three-month period thus having caused the damage to the B&H Budget amounting to around 7.850.000 BAM and acquired over 1.200.000 BAM of unlawful property gain.

Acting upon orders of the Court B&H and Prosecutor’s Office B&H, facilities in 25 locations were searched in the area of Grude, Široki Brijeg, Čitluk, Zenica and Sarajevo. During the searches, over five tonnes of cut tobacco, around 18 tonnes of tobacco leaf, three tobacco cutting machines, considerable amount of money, four vehicles, over 800 boxes of cigarettes of different brands without origin and other items that may serve as evidence, were found and seized.