INDICTMENT ISSUED AGAINST FIVE PERSONS FOR ILLICIT TRADE IN ABOUT 15 TONS OF TOBACCO

The persons accused are charged with illicit trade in excise products in large quantities, whereby they acquired significant unlawful material gain and damaged the budget of the State of Bosnia and Herzegovina and its citizens.

The Prosecutor of the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina has filed an Indictment against the following persons:

1.      Dragan Josić, born in 1962 in Obudovac, in Šamac, a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina, previously convicted of the same criminal offense

2.      Marko Josić, aka "Markan", born in 1986 in Brčko, a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina

3.      Jovana Josić, born in 1988 in Brčko, a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina

4.      Jovan Josić, born in 1991 in Brčko, a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina

5.      Nemanja Petrović, born in 1997 in Brčko, a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The aforementioned accused persons are charged that, during 2019 and 2020, in Obudovac near Šamac, they acted with the intention of acquiring unlawful property gain by illegally trading in large quantities of leaf tobacco and cut tobacco, the trade in which is not permitted to citizens as natural persons, and which tobacco was not marked with the prescribed excise stamps of the State of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Thus, they acted contrary to the provisions of the Law on Excise Duties of Bosnia and Herzegovina and acquired unlawful material gain for themselves, causing damage to the budget and the State of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as to its citizens, by placing on the market tobacco products that have not satisfied the prescribed standard of quality control and correctness.

The Indictment alleges that the said accused illegally obtained about 15,000 kilograms of tobacco, after which they cut tobacco in special rooms with equipment, and then they weighed the cut tobacco, packed it and delivered it to customers in previously ordered quantities. Accordingly, they were selling the tobacco without excise stamps of the Indirect Taxation Authority (ITA) of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The accused persons were putting tobacco into circulation in the area of ​​Brčko and in other places, and they were most often selling it in quantities ranging from several dozen to several hundred kilograms. These unlawful sales were discovered and documented in the course of investigation.

During the search of the premises used by these accused persons, a large quantity of tobacco was found, as well as specialist equipment and tools for tobacco processing.

The aforementioned accused persons are charged with the commission of the continued criminal offense of Illicit Trade in Excise Products, referred to in Article 210a of the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as with the criminal offense of Illicit Trade, referred to in Article 212 of the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Indictment has been forwarded to the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina for confirmation.