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Organized crime in Bosnia and Herzegovina

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Bosnian mafia
Founding locationBosnia and Herzegovina
TerritoryWestern Europe, Former Yugoslavia, United States
EthnicityBosniak, Bosnian Serb, Bosnian Croat
Criminal activitiesDrug trafficking, Cigarette smuggling, Assassination, Bank fraud, Blackmailing, Bribery, Contract killing, Infiltration of Politics, Money laundering, Murder, Police corruption, Political corruption, Witness intimidation, Witness tampering, Gambling , Human trafficking,extortion .
AlliesNone proven

The Bosnian mafia (or Bosnian organized crime) is the body of illegal gangs and criminal organisations operating in Bosnia and Herzegovina and within the Bosnian diaspora. Bosnian organised crime figures operate mostly in Europe. Bosnian organised-crime groups are involved in a wide range of activities and extortion is (often under the cover of ostensible security and insurance companies) . Smuggling revenues are between €600 million and €900 million.[1]

Organised-crime groups and activities

The Bosnian mafia can be broadly divided into four categories – the Bosniak mafia, the Bosnian Serb mafia, the Bosnian Croat mafia and many local organised-crime groups.[citation needed] The Bosnian mafia groups are involved in a wide range of activities; one of their more notorious activities occurred in 2003 when they smuggled and sold 250,000 Zastava M70 Yugoslav-made AK-47s to Iraq.[citation needed]

The federalist government of Bosnia and Herzegovina makes fighting organised-crime groups extremely difficult. Bosnia and Herzegovina consists of two largely independent entities, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska – both of which have their own capital, parliament, president and police force. Due to the poor cooperation between law-enforcement agencies in the two regions, criminals can often evade prosecution simply by moving from one to the other. Mafia groups from neighbouring countries (particularly Serbia and Croatia) often base their operations in Sarajevo, due to its proximity to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

However, there have been some efforts to increase collaboration between the two regions. In 2006 the European Union established the State Investigation and Protection Agency. SIPA is a Bosnian federal police agency with authority in both regions, and is under the direct administration of the Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH MIS).

Key people

See also

References

  1. ^ Griffiths, Hugh (21 February 2005). "Investigation: Will Europe Take on Bosnia's Mafia?". Institute for War & Peace Reporting.
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