SARAJEVO, June 26 (Hina) - According to information from the Interior Ministry of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina, there are four well-linked channels through which humans are smuggled via Bosnia's territory into Croatia and
further into western countries, the Sarajevo daily 'Oslobodjenje' reported on Monday. According to data gathered by the Interior Ministry's department for organised crime, Sarajevo has become one of the biggest regional centres for the illegal transfer of people from Third World countries into western European countries. The starting point for all four channels is Sarajevo airport. It is known that Iranians and Kurds arriving by planes from Teheran and Istanbul are transported toward Srebrenik, Velika Kladusa, Mostar and Teslic in an organised manner. The fact that they do not need visas and can stay in Bosnia for three months without having to register with the police facilitates th
SARAJEVO, June 26 (Hina) - According to information from the
Interior Ministry of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina, there
are four well-linked channels through which humans are smuggled via
Bosnia's territory into Croatia and further into western
countries, the Sarajevo daily 'Oslobodjenje' reported on Monday.
According to data gathered by the Interior Ministry's department
for organised crime, Sarajevo has become one of the biggest
regional centres for the illegal transfer of people from Third
World countries into western European countries.
The starting point for all four channels is Sarajevo airport. It is
known that Iranians and Kurds arriving by planes from Teheran and
Istanbul are transported toward Srebrenik, Velika Kladusa, Mostar
and Teslic in an organised manner.
The fact that they do not need visas and can stay in Bosnia for three
months without having to register with the police facilitates their
arrival.
The route from Mostar leads to Zadar and Sibenik in Croatia, from
where illegal emigrants are shipped to Italy. From the northern
'base' of Srebrenik illegal immigrants are transported to Croatia
by false-bottom ferries or boats.
The border crossing at Bosanski Kobas is the transit point for
Iranians and Kurds arriving in Bosnia via Teslic.
The federal police have unconfirmed information that the
Montenegrin port of Bar is also one of the transit points for
illegal immigrants.
So far, the federal police have registered 601 foreign citizens
trying to illegally enter west European countries. All illegal
immigrants pay between three and seven thousand German marks to
their smugglers.
Bosnia-Herzegovina is currently one of the six major routes of
illegal immigration from East to West Europe. According to police
estimates, the smuggling of humans to western European countries
brings the smugglers annual profits amounting to some five billion
dollars.
(hina) rml