Police smash Balkan human trafficking ring

SARAJEVO - Bosnian and Croatian police have arrested four people on suspicion of running a human trafficking ring taking individuals from the Balkans into the European Union, Bosnian border police said on Friday.

The arrests were the result of a joint operation with Montenegro to break up an international smuggling gang that has been trafficking people from Albania, Macedonia, Turkey and Kosovo, the police said in a statement.

During a search of homes, office premises and vehicles in western Bosnia, the police found evidence of trafficking, including fake euros, weapons and ammunition, the statement said.

In June Bosnia arrested a Turkish individual on suspicion of leading a major human trafficking ring.

For Balkan states aspiring to join the European Union there is a strong motivation in cracking down on traffickers since all candidate states must show they are capable of fighting organised crime and keeping their borders safe.