Pristina, 30th of November 2022

Kosovo Police, the Task Force police unit from the Regional Border Police Directorate East, in the wake of implementation of measures to prevent and fight illegality and smuggling, have intensified tactical controls and operations in the field.

The Task Force unit at the RPDK-East has undertaken the necessary operational-tactical measures by conducting ambushes and checks on the borderline roads as well as secondary and regional roads, where as a result of these actions two cases of smuggling in goods have been prevented.

Case I: On 29.11.2022 at about 15:20 the Task Force unit observed a suspicious vehicle entering the territory of the RKS from the village of Breznica, Republic of Serbia.

The same vehicle was followed and stopped in Gjilan at about 16:05 with the driver A. A. Kosovar male, known to the Police as a recidivist of the criminal offenses of smuggling goods.

During the inspection, were found about 300 kg loaded in the trunk of the car and on the back seats that happen to be processed fruits (dried plums) for which there was no accompanying document on their origin and content, which are suspected to have been brought from the Republic of Serbia.

Case 2: On 29.11.2022 at about 21:00 the Task Force, stopped a gray BMW X5 vehicle in the village of Stubëll, the municipality of Vitia with local license plates with the driver K. M. Kosovar male coming from North Macedonia with the suspicion of smuggling in goods, the person responsible for these goods J. K. Kosovar male

During the inspection of the vehicle, it was found that there were about 15 bags of processed tobacco loaded, which the suspects had taken in the Republic of North Macedonia.

The suspects planned to send the goods to a person in a village in the municipality of Vitia, where the Task Force unit identified the third person in the case, from whose house 10 identical tobacco bags were also seized.

The state prosecutor was notified of all these actions, who ordered that the cases be initiated as ‘smuggling of goods’, and that the goods be seized and sent to Customs.

The cases are being handled by the relevant police units from the East Regional Border Directorate in cooperation with the State Prosecutor’s Office and Kosovo Customs.