The Border Police Unit of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) arrested a Turkish citizen on Sunday, in Gradiska, after thwarting an attempt to smuggle 23 individuals of Afro-Asian origin.

The smuggling attempt was uncovered during routine border surveillance and the inspection of a Mercedes vehicle with BiH license plates in the border zone near Gradiska, the BiH Border Police said.

The foreign nationals were without identification documents, and in interviews, 21 of them claimed to be from Syria, while two stated they were from Egypt.

The on-duty prosecutor from the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH was informed, and evidence related to the smuggling was temporarily seized. The Turkish suspect and a report detailing the charge of “people smuggling” will be handed over to the acting prosecutor.

Additionally, on September 20, Border Police officers intercepted another smuggling attempt in the Gradiska border area, this time involving ten Syrian nationals.

A BiH citizen, driving a Mercedes passenger vehicle with BiH plates, was found to be involved in this second smuggling operation. The prosecutor’s office has ordered that a criminal report be filed against the driver for “people smuggling.”

The BiH Service for Foreigners’ Affairs has been notified of both incidents and will continue handling the migrants involved.