On Tuesday, police officers of the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) conducted an operation code-named “Ottawa” in the area of Laktaš, aimed at breaking the network of international drug trafficking. The action was implemented in cooperation with members of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Croatia. Acting on the order of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and under the supervision of the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina, members of the SIPA arrested nine persons suspected of organized crime related to the illicit traffic of narcotic drugs.
After criminal processing and questioning as suspects, the arrested persons will be handed over to the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH for further action.
As part of the operation, searches were carried out of residential and auxiliary buildings, as well as vehicles and other movable property used by the suspects in the area of Čapljina, Kneževo, Teslić, Laktaš, Banja Luka, Zvornik and Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina. During the search, around 40 kilograms of the narcotic drug cannabis was found and temporarily confiscated, which, according to the information of the investigators, was transported from the port of Ploče in the Republic of Croatia to Bosnia and Herzegovina in a cargo vehicle used by one of the suspects.
Members of the Brčko District Police of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska, the Federal Police Administration, as well as the cantonal ministries of internal affairs from Herzegovina-Neretva Canton and Sarajevo Canton participated in the implementation of the action.
SIPA points out that the “Ottawa” action represents another example of successful regional cooperation between police and judicial institutions in the fight against transnational organized crime and drug trafficking.
(TYPE//Photo: Luka Ploče)
