Bosnian police make mass arrest of organized crime suspects

Bosnian police forces, in a combined country-wide action directed at organized crime, arrested 48 people and seized a large quantity of drugs and weapons on Thursday, reported the Bosnian Serb news agency Srna.

The operation had been prepared for months and was part of an ongoing campaign to battle international criminal activities. Stanislav Cado, the minister of interior for Republika Srpska, a Serb-dominated entity, said at a press conference in Doboj that a number of police officials were among the arrested.

The search and arrest operation was carried out in 103 locations in seven towns in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Brcko, Doboj, Bijeljina, Banja Luka, Prnjavor, Odzak and Celic. The interior minister stated that a large quantity of narcotics, weapons and ammunition were seized, but did not give further details.

According to the Prosecutor's Office, this represented one of the largest combined police actions in BiH. Its aim was the apprehension of individuals suspected of involvement with two large criminal organizations operating in the region. The various police agencies were coordinated through the special department for organized crime of the Prosecutor's Office.

Source: Xinhua