Police agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina have arrested 53 people so far in the area of the Una-Sana Canton, as part of the operation codenamed Istok-Swat, which refers to the prosecution of suspected criminal gangs that abuse and smuggle illegal migrants, Raport learns.
Several police agencies were involved in the action, including the Intelligence and Security Agency of BiH (OSA).
The report reveals that a powerful gang from Afghanistan that kidnapped migrants and demanded ransom from their families has been broken.
300 police officers from five different police agencies, from SIPA, FUP to BiH Border Police, are participating in the action.
According to the information provided by the Report, the detained citizens are from Afghanistan and Pakistan, who are armed with automatic rifles. This gang operated in the border zone between BiH and Croatia.
One of the suspects, who is suspected to be armed, as we learn, fled into the minefield.
Earlier this morning, an Afghan citizen, AUJ, was arrested. He is a person of security interest for the crimes of aggravated murder and illegal production and possession of explosive devices, which is the subject of interest of several police agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina and other countries, and is linked to an organized Afghan criminal group.
The groups are suspected of having committed, in addition to the criminal offenses of “Organizing a group or association to commit the criminal offense of migrant smuggling” and “Human smuggling” from the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina, several serious criminal offenses prescribed by the Criminal Code of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, including “Organized crime”, “Kidnapping”, “Extortion” and “Illegal possession of weapons or explosive materials”, reports the report.
