Balkan police arrest 22 in drugs, weapons ring
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 26 April 2016 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Balkan police arrest 22 in drugs, weapons ring, 26 April 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/576900601a.html [accessed 5 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
April 26, 2016
Police from six Balkan countries have arrested 22 people and seized large quantities of weapons and drugs in a coordinated operation targeting an international smuggling ring, Interpol says.
Smugglers often route weapons and drugs through the Balkans to Western Europe, and some of the guns used in last November's attacks in Paris were produced there.
The police operation, code-named Balkan Trigger, took place between April 17 and April 19 in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Slovenia, and Serbia at the request of Interpol with support from Europol and Frontex, the European Union's law enforcement and border agencies, Branislav Pavlovic, the head of Interpol's Bosnia branch, said on April 25.
Police seized large quantities of guns, hand grenades, explosives, ammunition, cash, gold, vehicles, and drugs, most of it in Bosnia, Pavlovic said.
He did not give the nationality of those arrested or say where the arms originated.
Security agencies in the region have stepped up cooperation to fight organized crime.
The director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, John Brennan, visited Bosnia last week to discuss counterterrorism measures.
Based on reporting by Reuters and Objektivno.hr
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
