Drama at border with Croatia: 200 police officers in action against foreign smuggling gangs targeting migrants

Illustration; Photo: Marko Jovanovic

On Thursday, the police in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) conducted a major operation in the northwest of the country, directed against members of organized criminal groups of smugglers of illegal migrants.

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Several police agencies were involved in the operation under the code name "Istok-Swat", including the Intelligence and Security Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina (OSA).

Spokeswoman of the Prosecutor's Office of the Una-Sana Canton Irena Marjanovic Cavakic said that the operation focused on the area of Velika Kladusa.

"Organized criminal groups whose members are originally from Afghanistan were targeted, and there is information that they have continuously committed criminal acts over the past two years, primarily extortion and kidnapping of migrants," said Marjanovic Cavakic.

200 officers from five different agencies participated in the operation.

Una-Sana Canton Police Director Amel Kozlica said that the goal was to apprehend Afghans who attack migrants as they attempt to cross the border into Croatia.

The Ministry of Interior of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) entity at the same time confirmed that they had arrested Afghan citizen A.U.J. (31), who is wanted by several countries as a suspect in cases of aggravated murder and illegal production and possession of explosive devices.

He is a member of an organized criminal group, and was located and detained in the area of the Una-Sana Canton after a search which inolved OSA.

The Afghan citizen was handed over to the Immigration Service and placed in immigration detention.

(Telegraf.rs)