SIPA

In the operation codenamed “Lištica”, started this morning, police officials of the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) deprived 14 individuals of liberty due to grounded suspicion of having committed the criminal offence of organised crime in conjunction with unlawful trade in excise products, unauthorised storage of goods, tax evasion or fraud and money laundering.

Facilities in 25 locations were searched in the area of Grude, Široki Brijeg, Čitluk, Zenica and Sarajevo. 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 in further proceedings were found and seized during the searches, while searches in some of the locations are still ongoing.

Bringing of the arrested individuals to SIPA premises for criminal processing is underway, after which their further status will be decided upon the instructions of the acting prosecutor of the Prosecutor’s Office B&H, while several individuals are being questioned as witnesses.

The operation is preceded by an intensive criminal investigation conducted by SIPA investigators under supervision of the Prosecutor’s Office B&H, and today’s activities are carried out in cooperation with the Indirect Taxation B&H, Sarajevo Canton MoI, Herzegovina Neretva Canton MoI, West Herzegovina Canton MoI and Zenica-Doboj Canton MoI. We hereby thank all the above authorities for a very successful cooperation.