FOUR PERSONS ACCUSED OF ILLICIT INTERNATIONAL TRAFFICKING IN NARCOTIC DRUGS ENTERED INTO PLEA AGREEMENTS ADMITTING GUILT

The four persons accused of the illicit international trafficking in narcotic drugs entered into Plea Agreements admitting guilt.

1.        The accused Admir Arnautović, born on 20 July 1980 in Sarajevo, where he also resides, citizen of BiH, has entered into a Plea Agreement admitting guilt for criminal offenses of Organized Crime, as referred to in Article 250, Paragraph 1, of the BiH CC in conjunction with the criminal offense of Illicit Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs, as referred to in Article 195, Paragraph 1 of the BiH CC,  Unauthorized Production and Sale of Narcotic Drugs, as referred to in Article 238, Paragraph 1 of the FBiH CC, and Extortion, as referred to in Article 295, Paragraph 2, of the FBiH CC, and he concluded a Plea Agreement with a Prosecutor of the Special Department for Organized Crime, Economic Crime and Corruption of the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH. Pursuant to the Plea Agreement, the Prosecutor agrees that an unconditional sentence of imprisonment for a term of 3 (three) years be imposed on the Accused by the Court of BiH.  

2.        The accused Adnan Maglić, born on 23 July 1985 in Sarajevo, where he also resides, citizen of BiH, has entered into a Plea Agreement admitting guilt for criminal offenses of Organized Crime, as referred to in Article 250, Paragraph 1, of the BiH CC in conjunction with the criminal offense of Illicit Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs, as referred to in Article 195, Paragraph 1 of the BiH CC,  Unauthorized Production and Sale of Narcotic Drugs, as referred to in Article 238, Paragraph 1 of the FBiH CC, and Extortion, as referred to in Article 295, Paragraph 2, of the FBiH CC, and he concluded a Plea Agreement with a Prosecutor of the Special Department for Organized Crime, Economic Crime and Corruption of the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH. Pursuant to the Plea Agreement, the Prosecutor agrees that an unconditional sentence of imprisonment for a term of 1 (one) year be imposed on the Accused by the Court of BiH. 

3.        The accused Jasmin Hatić aka ‘Gigo’, born on 16 November 1989 in Sarajevo, where he also resides, citizen of BiH, has entered into a Plea Agreement admitting guilt for criminal offenses of Organized Crime, as referred to in Article 250, Paragraph 4, of the BiH CC in conjunction with the criminal offense of Unauthorized Production and Sale of Narcotic Drugs, as referred to in Article 238, Paragraph 1 of the FBiH CC, and he concluded a Plea Agreement with a Prosecutor of the Special Department for Organized Crime, Economic Crime and Corruption of the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH. Pursuant to the Plea Agreement, the Prosecutor agrees that an unconditional sentence of imprisonment for a term of 9 (nine) months be imposed on the Accused by the Court of BiH. 

4.        The accused Sandro Melić, born on 03 October 1985 in Zenica, resident of Sarajevo, citizen of BiH, has entered into a Plea Agreement admitting guilt for criminal offenses of Organized Crime, as referred to in Article 250, Paragraph 1, of the BiH CC in conjunction with the criminal offense of Extortion, as referred to in Article 295, Paragraph 2 of the FBiH CC, and he concluded a Plea Agreement with a Prosecutor of the Special Department for Organized Crime, Economic Crime and Corruption of the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH. Pursuant to the Plea Agreement, the Prosecutor agrees that a sentence of imprisonment for a term of 1 (one) year be imposed on the Accused by the Court of BiH, which will not be executed providing that this accused person does not commit another criminal offense in the period of 3 (three) years.

Objects used or destined for use in the perpetration of the criminal offence, or those that resulted from the perpetration of a criminal offence will be forfeited from the accused persons.-

By virtue of signing the Plea Agreements, all the aforementioned accused persons fully admitted committing the criminal offenses they were charged with by the Indictment of the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH issued on 18 September 2013. The proposed sentences are consistent with the roles of these accused persons in the commission of the criminal offenses described in the Indictment, as well as with the aggravating and mitigating circumstances on the side of the accused persons.

These accused persons are charged with becoming members of an organized criminal group that has been acting continuously, for a longer period of time, for the purpose of acquiring illegal property gain, with the aim of committing criminal offenses in connection with illicit international sale, shipment, intermediation and delivery of Heroin and Cocaine narcotic drugs which are proclaimed narcotic drugs by current regulations. The first accused Admir Arnautović was organizing, planning and continuously procuring, for a longer period of time and to the present day, heavy narcotic drugs, from the territories of neighbouring countries, mostly from the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Croatia, and then he was transporting the drugs illegally to Bosnia and Herzegovina, mostly to Sarajevo. In cooperation with other accused persons and other persons known to him, he was distributing and selling the thus acquired drugs in the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The first accused person, Admir Arnautović, was using the thus acquired money to buy valuable movable property. In this manner, for the purpose of acquiring illegal material gain, all the aforementioned accused persons were exerting serious threats as members of the group for organized crime to coerce other persons into committing acts that are harmful to their property; thus, they threatened some persons that they would be deprived of their personal cars if they did not pay them a certain amount of money.

By signing these Plea Agreements, the accused persons confirm to be aware of the content of the Indictment issued by the BiH Prosecutor's Office. At the same time, they confirm to give their plea statements voluntarily, consciously and with the full understanding of legal consequences, pursuant to Article 231 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

By signing the Plea Agreement, all these accused persons accept to testify as Prosecution witnesses before the Court of BiH when summoned to do so by the Court of BiH, against other suspects covered by this investigation or by a possible Indictment, as well as to testify against persons in other investigative proceedings conducted in the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH of whom they have certain information.   

With this Plea Agreement, these accused persons waive their right to a trial and right to appeal to a criminal sanction imposed upon them by the Court of BiH on the basis of this Plea Agreement.  

The Plea Agreements were submitted to the Court of BiH.