Acting on orders of a prosecutor of the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH, the police officers of the Border Police of BiH carried out an operational international operation codenamed “BARBAROS”, aimed at documenting and preventing the organised smuggling of migrants from the Republic of Serbia to Bosnia and Herzegovina and further to EU countries.

These activities refer to three suspected persons, members of organised criminal groups, who are under investigation and charged with having illegally transported migrants across the state border over a period of several months this year, by which the organised criminal group acquired significant material gain.

One of the suspects is a police officer of the Sarajevo Canton Ministry of Interior, and the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina is particularly committed to prosecuting individuals in the police ranks who commit illegal acts.

According to the collected evidence, the suspects are charged with having, together with other members of the group, including people from the migrant population, participated in the smuggling of hundreds of migrants, citizens of countries with a high migration risk, primarily Syria, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, in such a way that they found illegal migrants in the territory of the Republic of Serbia who did not meet the conditions prescribed by law for entry and residence in the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which they would then smuggle to BiH and EU countries.

As part of the operation, searches were carried out in the area of Sarajevo and Zvornik, with the aim of collecting evidence and documenting the committed criminal offence.

The suspects who are under investigation are charged with the criminal offence of Organising a group or association for the purpose of perpetrating the criminal offence of smuggling of migrants under Article 189a in conjunction with the criminal offence of Smuggling of persons under Article 189 of the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The operation is the result of several months of work by the Border Police of BiH under the supervision of the Prosecutor’s Office BiH, and in this case international cooperation was achieved with the competent authorities of the Republic of Serbia, as well as with the police association SELEC.

The Prosecutor’s Office of BiH, together with partner institutions and agencies, almost on a daily basis implements activities related to the prosecution of criminal offences of migrant smuggling, in cities and areas throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina.