Bosnian authorities made a significant breakthrough this week in the battle against organized crime, arresting 11 individuals in connection with a large-scale tobacco smuggling and money laundering network. The suspects are believed to have operated a well-oiled smuggling route, transporting a truckload of cigarettes from Montenegro to Bosnia each week for years.
The raids, coordinated by the Interior Ministry of Republika Srpska—the Serb-majority entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina—spanned over 20 locations. Among the items seized were passenger and cargo vehicles, large sums of cash, hunting rifles, real estate purchase contracts, and numerous phones and SIM card holders.
The operation, named “Oganj 3” or “Fire 3,” follows a series of similar actions aimed at dismantling the region’s tobacco smuggling rings. Investigators traced messages on Sky ECC, an encrypted app favored by criminal networks, which revealed a long-running, organized smuggling operation. Transcripts from the app pointed to a consistent pipeline of illicit cigarettes flowing weekly across the Montenegrin-Bosnian border.
The investigation uncovered several notable figures allegedly involved in the scheme. Among the detainees in the town of Trebinje are Nebojsa Susic, a customs officer and owner of several exchange offices suspected of laundering smuggling proceeds, and Rajko Lecic, a transport company owner believed to have provided logistics for the operation.
Police also apprehended Aleksandar Lucic, who had previously eluded capture during the “Oganj 1” operation. Lucic had been on the run since last year, with an international arrest warrant issued for his capture. Authorities also arrested his wife, Olivera Lucic, in connection with the smuggling network. Meanwhile, a figure central to the operation, Radomir Ninkovic, nicknamed “Raso Letva,” remains at large and is suspected of masterminding the operation from Trebinje.
Authorities across Bosnia are collaborating to close in on the remaining suspects, with the investigation extending beyond Bosnia’s borders. This July, former SIPA (State Investigation and Protection Agency) Deputy Director Zoran Galic managed to evade capture by fleeing to Croatia after an alleged tip-off. Galic is suspected of abusing his position and accepting bribes while leading the Border Police from 2014 to 2023. He was finally relieved of his duties just last month. In the same wave of arrests, the deputy commander of the Trebinje Border Police unit and a dual Bosnian-Croat citizen were also detained on similar charges.
