BANJA LUKA/ BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA, November 5, 2014 – The Ceremony to hand over the Certificate of Honor for the joint operation „WALKER II” was held on 5th of November 2014 at the Republic of Srpska Ministry of Interior Press Conference Room in Banja Luka/ Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Certificate was delivered to Republic of Srpska Police Director, Mr. Gojko Vasic, in the presence of many Police representatives and mass-media.
The importance of international police cooperation and significant role provided by SELEC to coordinate joint investigations in the Member States in order to diminish the drug trafficking in the Southeast European region was stressed during the press statements given by both Mr. Vasic and Mr. Slaven Rosic, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Police Liaison Officer at SELEC.
On 8th of October 2014, SELEC granted awards to those cases which proved to be successful in fighting trans-border organized crime, for the first semester of 2014.
The awards are granted twice per year and represent recognition of outstanding law enforcement activities carried out by Police and Customs Authorities of SELEC Member States in fighting trans-border organized crime. The goal of the awards is to provide not only a material prize, but also to motivate the law enforcement authorities to use cooperation avenues available through SELEC for fighting trans-border organized crime in Southeast Europe.
On this occasion, the Service for Fight against Organized Crime and Corruption, Republic of Srpska MoI, Bosnia and Herzegovina, was awarded the second prize for the joint operation „WALKER II”.
Operation “WALKER II” was a drug trafficking case carried out in a period of 6 months by the competent law enforcement authorities from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republic of Croatia and Montenegro. The investigators searched 27 locations used by the suspects during the international operation, which conducted to the seizure of 130.5 kg of marijuana skunk and arrest of 33 individuals in three countries. The total value of the narcotics seized in June 2014 was estimated to 300,000 EUR on the illegal market. The Police authorities established that an organized crime group was involved in drug trafficking from Republic of Albania via Montenegro to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republic of Croatia as well as to other countries in Western Europe.