SIPA

This morning (05/18/2016) police officials of the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) started a coordinated operation codenamed "Ostrvo" with police officials of the West Herzegovina Canton MoI. They apprehended four individuals and searched premises in three locations in Ljubuški.

The individuals identified by initials DV (1980), ZP (1991) and AB (1987), B&H citizens, and individual identified by initials RK (1985), citizen of Albania, were apprehended due to grounds for suspicion of having committed criminal offense of Organized Crime in conjunction the criminal offence of Illicit Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs.

These activities were carried on the orders of the Court of B&H and the B&H Prosecutor's Office, with the support of police officials of Ministry of Interior of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton and B&H Border Police.

The arrested individuals are suspected that they, as members of organized criminal group, conducted illegal trafficking of cocaine from the territory of Croatia and Germany to B&H, with the aim of acquiring illegal material benefits, which they further distributed in amounts ranging from five to 100 grams to the end retailers and consumers in the area of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton and West Herzegovina Canton.

During the search, the following items were found and temporarily seized: mobile phones, SIM cards, packing of white powdery substance resembling the narcotic drug cocaine and other items that may serve as evidence in further proceedings.

The apprehended individuals will be brought to the official premises of SIPA for criminal investigation, after which, according to the instructions of the competent Prosecutor of B&H Prosecutor’s Office, their future status will be decided upon. Several individuals were called to the official premises of SIPA and West Herzegovina Canton MoI for questioning as witnesses.