INDICTMENT ISSUED AGAINST 26 PERSONS WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THE CASE CODENAMED "BALD" RELATED TO SMUGGLING OF CIGARETTES WORTH ABOUT BAM 400,000

The accused persons are charged with the criminal offense of Organizing a Group or Association for Smuggling or Distribution of Goods on Which Duties Were Not Paid under Article 215 in conjunction with the criminal offense of Smuggling of goods under Article 214 of the CC BiH.

The Prosecutor of the Special Department for Organized Crime, Economic Crime and Corruption within the Prosecutor's Office of BiH issued an indictment against a total of 26 persons as part of the case initiated against Miroslav Rakić et.al.

The accused persons in this case are charged with having been engaged in organized smuggling of cigarettes i.e. transfer across the customs line while avoiding customs control measures from the area of the Republic of Serbia and Montenegro to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and then from Bosnia and Herzegovina to the Republic of Croatia, as well as the sale of cigarettes to customers and sellers in the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Croatia during the period from April 2011 to March 2012 as organizers and members of five interrelated organized groups of people involved in organized smuggling of goods on which duties were not paid-cigarettes, which were interconnected and created a resale network of intermediaries in sale and distribution of cigarettes on which duties were not paid, all for the purpose of obtaining unlawful gain.

Results of the investigation indicated that during the aforementioned period these organized criminal groups of people carried out the transfer and resale of 15,725 cartons of cigarettes worth at least BAM 392,500.

It was a very voluminous investigation of the Prosecutor's Office of BiH and police agencies during which significant cooperation was achieved with judicial and police authorities of neighboring countries.

Those indicted within the scope of the case codenamed "Bald" are as follows:

-        Miroslav Rakić (1970)

-        Vladislav Andelić (1981)

-        Miroslav Maksimović (1979)

-        Aleksandar Samardžić (1979)

-        Goran Kobaš (1989)

-        Miladin Jokić (1966)

-        Stanko Grabovac (1956)

-        Veselin Popović (1966)

-        Miroslav Folvarek (1973)

-        Peter Ponjević (1953)

-        Dragan Ponjević (1979)

-        Emir Eminović (1980)

-        Milan Grgić (1978)

-        Rasim Eminović (1951)

-        Milenko Perić (1955)

-        Sefik Pivić (1960)

-        Drago Perić (1962)

-        Radomir Đekić (1961)

-        Vukota Bojovic (1982)

-        Dragan Šinik (1966)

-        Milan Samardžić (1970)

-        Zdravko Vujović (1979)

-        Uglješa Elčić (1962)

-        Desimir Ivanović (1973)

-        Mirko Pržulj (1982) and

-        Krsto Gašević (1954).

The indictment was forwarded to the Court of BiH for confirmation along with extensive evidence that was collected during the investigation in this matter.