Twenty foreign nationals arrested in Sarajevo, 200 passports seized

Approximately 20 foreign nationals were found during the raid, and legal measures and actions within the jurisdiction of the Service for Foreigners’ Affairs will be taken against all of them. Around 200 travel documents and identification papers were found, including documents belonging to citizens of Nepal, Bangladesh, and Turkey, along with a large quantity of equipment used for illegal border crossings and a number of mobile phones.

“For two Pakistani nationals, S.S. and A.S., who were found and are suspected of being involved in organizing international migrant smuggling along the Western Balkans route, expulsion measures have been imposed, along with supervision and placement in the Immigration Center in East Sarajevo. Further actions regarding them will be undertaken by the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA), given the indications linking them to migrant smuggling and the travel documents found,” stated the Service for Foreigners’ Affairs.

The Service added that it will continue, in cooperation with the relevant institutions, to carry out intensified control and monitoring activities aimed at combating illegal residence, preventing human smuggling, and stopping the illegal use and rental of facilities for migrant accommodation.

“We call on citizens to report any information about illegal and unregistered facilities used to house foreigners to the relevant field centers of the Service so that we can work together to preserve the security and legal order of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” the Service concluded.