SARAJEVO, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Members of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH)'s border police arrested some 30 people who are charged with smuggling illegal immigrants en route to the European Union, BiH border police said here Tuesday.
BiH border police organized two security operations targeting at two criminal groups that were charging immigrants 500 euros (611 U.S. dollars) to illegally take them over the border to Croatia, BiH border police spokesperson Sanela Dujkovic told reporters at a press conference.
She said the operations took place in the middle of January and late February 2018 and the smugglers transferred immigrants from BiH to Croatia, with the aim to enter Western Europe countries.
Those arrested are charged with transporting, hiding and smuggling illegal immigrants, and will be handed over to BiH prosecutors, the BiH Prosecutor's Office said.
The operations were jointly executed by BiH border police, BiH prosecution and the Croatian Office for the Suppression of Corruption and Organized Crime, and Croatian internal affairs ministry.
In a report issued mid-April, the BiH border police said it had intercepted 1,036 migrants from Jan. 1 to April 15, 2018, a significant increase from last year.
