ON ORDERS OF THE PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE OF BIH, AN OPERATION CODENAMED “BLINKER” CARRIED OUT WITHIN THE FIGHT AGAINST ILLICIT TRADE IN EXCISE PRODUCTS

On orders of the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH, SIPA police officers, in cooperation with police officers of the Republika Srpska Ministry of Interior and the Indirect Taxation Authority of BiH, conducted searches at five locations in the municipality of Šamac and brought in four suspects. The search was also subsequently carried out for the fifth suspect who was found to possess items that could serve as evidence in further criminal proceedings.

As part of investigative and operational activities, information and evidence were collected that the suspects dealt in illicit trade of tobacco for a longer period of time, that they illegally procured large quantities of tobacco, prepared excise goods - tobacco products not marked with control stamps in a form suitable for consumption, sold them and placed them into circulation in the territory of BiH.

During the search, 750 kilograms of tobacco, a tobacco-cutting machine, a scale, an automatic rifle, a semi-automatic rifle, a certain amount of ammunition, as well as other items that could serve as evidence in further proceedings were found and temporarily seized.

The persons under investigation in the said case are suspected of the criminal offence of organised crime under Article 250 of the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina in conjunction with the criminal offence of illicit trade in excise products under Article 210a of the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Prosecutor’s Office of BiH is working with partner institutions and agencies on a number of cases related to illicit trade in tobacco excise products in large quantities through sale of which perpetrators acquire a great illegal property gain and cause damage to the budget and all citizens of BiH.