SIPA

Yesterday (13/9/2015) - in a continued operation codenamed “List“, police officials of the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) searched two locations in the area of Grude Municipality.

The premises used by the individuals identified by initials RB and ZB were searched with the aim of finding and seizing items that may serve as evidence in further proceedings. The searches resulted in detecting and seizing tobacco cutting machine, about 170 kg of cut tobacco and other items. These activities were carried out upon orders of the Court B&H and Prosecutor’s Office B&H with the assistance of Western Herzegovina Canton MoI.

The individuals with initials RB and ZB are suspected of having committed criminal offence of organised crime in conjunction with criminal offence of tax evasion or fraud. They are suspected of having smuggled and placed considerable quantities of cut tobacco on the market of Republic of Croatia during 2015.  RB and ZB were invited and questioned as suspects in the premises of SIPA yesterday.   

During the activities in this case, a close cooperation was established and operational intelligence and information were exchanged with Croatian police authorities. The activities were also coordinated on the territory of the Republic of Croatia yesterday. 

To remind, in the operation “List”, which was initiated on 13 July this year, SIPA deprived several individuals of liberty, brought into connection with smuggling of high-tariff goods in BiH and illegal trafficking in tobacco leaves and cut tobacco and searched premises on 31 locations in B&H.