INDICTMENT ISSUED AGAINST NINE PERSONS FOR SMUGGLING OF ILLEGAL MIGRANTS

The Prosecutor of the Special Department for Organized Crime, Economic Crime and Corruption within the Prosecutor's Office of BiH has issued an Indictment against the following persons:

- Tihomir Čulo aka Tiho, born on 15 November 1970 in Mostar, where he also resides, with prior convictions, a citizen of BiH and the Republic of Croatia,

- Danijel Čepo, born on 27 June 1989 in Mostar, resident of Grude, a citizen of BiH and the Republic of Croatia,

- Feđa Jahura, born on 09 April 1977 in Mostar, where he also resides, with prior convictions, a citizen of BiH,

- Fatmir Murtezi, born on 26 December 1968 in Priština, where he also resides, a citizen of the Republic of Serbia,

- Vedran Derviškadić aka Veda, born on 22 June 1978 in Mostar, where he also resides, with prior convictions, a citizen of BiH,

- Denis Puljić, born on 20 November 1985 in Ljubuški, where he also resides, with prior convictions, a citizen of BiH and the Republic of Croatia,

- Milijan Boras, born on 07 August 1984 in Ljubuški, where he also resides, with prior convictions, a citizen of BiH and the Republic of Croatia,

- Željka Boras, born on 22 October 1986 in Čapljina, resident of Ljubuški, a citizen of BiH and the Republic of Croatia, and

- Nikola Martinović aka Švica, born on 11 November 1967 in Munich, Germany, resident of Čitluk, a citizen of BiH and the Republic of Croatia.

According to the allegations in the Indictment, during the period from 25 January 2013 to 26 April 2013, the aforementioned accused persons operated as an organized criminal group in the territory of the Municipality of Ljubuški and, contrary to the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and in violation of Article 6 of the Protocol Against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air, they perpetrated ten criminal actions of smuggling of more than fifty (50) migrants across the state border, namely sixteen (16) citizens of the Republic of Turkey and thirty-six (36) citizens of the Republic of Serbia from the territory of Kosovo, who did not have valid travel documents to move and cross the state border. They smuggled those migrants from Bosnia and Herzegovina to the Republic of Croatia, in a place where crossing the border is not permitted, for certain amounts of money.

The Indictment charges the aforementioned accused persons with the commission of the criminal offense of Organized Crime, as referred to in Article 250 of the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in conjunction with the criminal offense of Smuggling of Persons, as referred to in Article 189 of the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Indictment has been forwarded to the Court of BiH for confirmation.