REMAND IN CUSTODY PROPOSED FOR A PERSON SUSPECTED OF ORGANIZED CRIME AND ILLICIT TRAFFICKING IN ARMS AND MILITARY EQUIPMENT

The suspect is under investigation as a member of an organized criminal group that smuggled weapons and ammunition from BiH to Slovenia and EU countries for further sale in illegal arms market and use in commission of criminal offenses.

Having questioned the suspect the Assigned Prosecutor from the Special Department for Organized Crime, Economic Crime and Corruption filed a motion to the Court of BiH to order remand in custody for the suspect:

-        Almir Krnjić, born in 1986 in Travnik.

The police and security agencies searched for the suspect for several days, after the police authorities of the Republic of Slovenia stopped him and discovered a specially altered vehicle with BiH registration plates, which was used for the smuggling of about 20 automatic rifles, ammunition and equipment all detected and seized in Slovenia.

Having established international cooperation activities and searches were conducted at several locations in BiH in order to detect and identify all persons involved in an organized criminal group that engaged in the procurement and smuggling of weapons from BiH to Slovenia, and further towards EU countries with the aim of selling them in illegal arms market to be used in the commission of serious crimes in the EU countries.

The operative work resulted with the identification of suspect Krnjić as one of the organizers of illegal transportation and smuggling of arms, after which he was deprived of liberty and questioned.

Remand in custody was proposed on grounds stipulated in Article 132 (1) (a) and (b) of the CPC BiH i.e. due to risk of flight and the risk that the suspect could interfere with the investigation, conceal evidence and influence the witnesses or accomplices.

The suspect is under investigation for the criminal offense of Organized Crime under Article 250 of the Criminal Code of BiH and the criminal offense of Illicit Trafficking in Arms and Military Equipment and Products of Dual Use under Article 193 of the CC BiH.

The Prosecutor’s Office of BiH, together with BiH police and security agencies, and in cooperation with partners from Slovenia in the international operation, continues its activities on identifying and arresting all suspected members of that organized criminal group.