PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE OF BIH AND SIPA CARRIED OUT AN OPERATION IN THE FIGHT AGAINST ORGANIZED CRIME AND ILLICIT TRADE IN EXCISE PRODUCTS

Acting on the order of a Prosecutor of the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH, SIPA police officers, with the support of the RS MoI, Sarajevo Canton MoI, Herzegovina-Neretva Canton MoI and Western Herzegovina Canton MoI, conducted an operation codenamed "Regina" (North and South), directed at the suppression of organized crime, connected with illicit trade, production and sale of excise products, cigarettes, tobacco and tobacco products in large quantities.  

During the course of the operation codenamed "Regina" several locations located in the area of East Ilidža, Konjic, Mostar, Pelagićevo, Široki Brijeg, Ilijaš, Čapljina, Grude and Ljubuški, were searched and a total of 12,530 packs of cigarettes that were not marked with control and tax stamps in the manner prescribed by the tax legislation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, were temporarily confiscated as well as 385 PVC bags filled with cut tobacco weighing about 0.5 kilograms, 30 kilograms of cut tobacco, five packs of cigarette filters, three cigarette fillers, and a total of 16 mobile phones with corresponding SIM cards and other evidence material.

The activities carried out included 11 persons whose illegalities were thoroughly documented during the investigation, and after all the investigative actions have been carried out, the investigation in this case is expected to be completed soon.

Several months-long investigation gathered evidence of persons involved in these illegal activities that cause damages to the budget of Bosnia and Herzegovina and cause damages to citizens due to the production and distribution of tobacco products that do not meet production and quality standards and that endanger the health of citizens.

The Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina, together with partner police agencies, conducts a large number of activities in the fight against illegalities related to the illegal trade and production of tobacco and tobacco products, especially in forms of organized crime in which a large number of people obtain illegal financial gains in large amounts, and which cause multi-million damages to the BiH budget and all citizens.