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Bosnia arrests nine suspected of smuggling 140 migrants

by Reuters
Wednesday, 17 April 2019 14:59 GMT

A migrant attempts to illegally cross the border into Croatia on the Pljesevica Mountain near Bihac, Bosnia and Herzegovina December 19, 2018. Picture taken December 19, 2018. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

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Bosnia has seen a rise of people crossing its territory since Croatia, Slovenia and other countries closed their borders

SARAJEVO, April 17 (Reuters) - Nine Bosnians were arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of being part of a gang that smuggled 140 migrants from Pakistan, Syria, Iraq and Iran into the European Union, police said.

Border officers said they also seized drugs, ammunition and vehicles during raids on 10 locations across Bosnia.

State prosecutors ordered the raids after investigations into a group operating in the east and the west of the Balkan country from January to April, police said.

Officers had identified citizens "who had smuggled more than 140 migrants and made significant illegal gains," the police added.

The overall number of migrants entering Europe has fallen significantly since the height of the crisis in 2015. But Bosnia has seen a rise of people crossing its territory since Croatia, Slovenia and other countries closed their borders.

(Reporting by Daria Sito-Sucic; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

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