Bosnia Arrests 23 in Europol-Backed Action Against Drug Cartel

0
12
Palestinians are inspecting the damage in the rubble of the Al-Bashir mosque following Israeli bombardment in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, on April 2, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. (Photo by Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

SARAJEVO (Reuters) – Bosnian police backed by international law enforcement agencies raided dozens of locations and arrested 23 people suspected of working for the jailed kingpin of a European drug cartel, the European Union police agency (Europol) said on Tuesday.

Among those arrested during raids in Sarajevo, Mostar and Zenica on Monday were several high-ranking police officials suspected of organised crime and money laundering, Bosnia’s chief prosecutor said in a statement.

Suspects were being questioned to decide whether formal charges will be filed.

War in Israel and Gaza

“Europol supported yesterday´s action which serves as another milestone in the fight against the so-called ‘super cartel’, an alliance of criminal networks that controls much of Europe’s cocaine trade,” a Europol statement said.

It said the main aim of the operation was to nab the inner circle of a Bosnian-Dutch druglord who was convicted and jailed in the Netherlands in 2023 but might still be steering the drug trade from South America to Europe and Australia.

The man, who Europol did not name, was among 49 suspects arrested in 2022 in coordinated raids carried out across Europe and the United Arab Emirates, targeting major alleged drug bosses.

Photos You Should See – April 2024

TOPSHOT - Marine One with US President Joe Biden onboard takes off from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on April 16, 2024. Biden is travelling to Scranton, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Drew ANGERER / AFP) (Photo by DREW ANGERER/AFP via Getty Images)

Europol specialists as well as agents of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) backed the Bosnian police raids.

(Reporting by Daria Sito-Sucic; editing by Mark Heinrich)

Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters.

Source link

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here