The Bosnian mafia (or Bosnian organized crime) is the body of illegal gangs and criminal organisations operating in

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

and within the

Bosnian diaspora The Bosnian diaspora consists of Bosnian emigrants of all ethnicities and their descendants in countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Australia and elsewhere. There are an estimated 3 million B ...

. Bosnian

organised crime Organized crime (or organised crime) is a category of transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally th ...

figures operate mostly in Europe. Bosnian organised-crime groups are involved in a wide range of activities and

extortion Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence; the bulk of this article deals with such cases. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, ...

is (often under the cover of ostensible

security Security is protection from, or resilience against, potential harm (or other unwanted coercive change) caused by others, by restraining the freedom of others to act. Beneficiaries (technically referents) of security may be of persons and social ...

and

insurance Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...

companies). Smuggling revenues are between €600 million and €900 million.

Organised-crime groups and activities

The Bosnian mafia can be broadly divided into categories – the

Bosniak The Bosniaks ( bs, Bošnjaci, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia, which is today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who share a common Bosnian ancestry, cu ...

mafia, the

Bosnian Serb The Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sr-Cyrl, Срби у Босни и Херцеговини, Srbi u Bosni i Hercegovini) are one of the three constitutive nations (state-forming nations) of the country, predominantly residing in the politi ...

mafia and many local organised-crime groups. The Bosnian mafia groups are involved in a wide range of activities; one of their more notorious activities occurred in 2003 when they smuggled and sold 250,000

Zastava M70 The Zastava M70 ( sr-Cyrl, Застава М70) is a 7.62x39mm assault rifle. Developed in Yugoslavia by Zastava Arms during the 1960s, the M70 was an unlicensed derivative of the Soviet AK-47 (specifically the Type 3 variant). It became the st ...

Yugoslav-made

AK-47 The AK-47, officially known as the ''Avtomat Kalashnikova'' (; also known as the Kalashnikov or just AK), is a gas operated, gas-operated assault rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×39mm cartridge. Developed in the Soviet Union by Russian s ...

s to Iraq. The

federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of de ...

government of Bosnia and Herzegovina makes fighting organised-crime groups extremely difficult. Bosnia and Herzegovina consists of two largely independent entities, the

Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is one of the two Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, entities within the State of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being Republika Srpska. The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina consists ...

and

Republika Srpska Republika Srpska ( sr-Cyrl, Република Српска, lit=Serb Republic, also known as Republic of Srpska, ) is one of the two Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Feder ...

– both of which have their own capital, parliament, president and police force. Due to the poor cooperation between law-enforcement agencies in the two regions, criminals can often evade prosecution simply by moving from one to the other. Mafia groups from neighbouring countries (particularly

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

and

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

) often base their operations in

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its a ...

, due to its proximity to Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, there have been some efforts to increase collaboration between the two regions. In 2006 the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

established the

State Investigation and Protection Agency The State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) ( Bosnian: ''Državna agencija za istrage i zaštitu, SIPA'') is the official state police agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina. SIPA is under the direct administration of the Ministry of Securit ...

. SIPA is a Bosnian federal police agency with authority in both regions, and is under the direct administration of the Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH MIS). Following the death of the historical leaders of the Sarajevo's underworld, a new generation of young criminals began to emerge. Among them the most notable are: * Mirza Hatić: Born in 1987, he is in police records 20 times since 2002 for attempted murder, endangering security, extortion and illegal possession of weapons. Considered one of the most prominent figures in Sarajevo's underworld. Hatić was released from prison in 2021. * Almer Inajetović: arrested 17 times for robbery, violent behavior, endangering security, extortion and illegal possession of weapons. However, he is best known for his racketeering caterers. * Admir Lekić: accused of attempted murder, violent behavior, endangering security and illegal possession of weapons. Lekić was sentenced to 10 years in prison for attempted murder. * Muamer Kulosman and Adi Karić: notorious racketeers in Sarajevo. * Benjamin Delalić: Born in 1993, and son of the historical late boss

Ramiz Delalić Ramiz Delalić (15 February 196327 June 2007), widely known by his nickname Ćelo (The word means "baldy" - a common nickname in Sarajevo for criminals, because their heads were shaven during their time spent in prison), was a Bosnian gangster a ...

, he has been in police records since he was a minor. Most of the times, Delalić was allegedly involved in shooting between rival gangs. In recent years, due to its drug trafficking activities, Bosnian criminal groups expanded its operations to

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

. Numerous Bosnian nationals were arrested in South American countries related to cocaine trafficking to Europe, such as David Cufaj and Smail Šikalo. The Tito and Dino cartel, led by Edin Gačanin, is said to be one of the major players in the drug trafficking in Europe, controlling one third of the cocaine that enters the port of

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...

. It has also a strong presence in

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

, which according to a Peruvian official, the cartel is the main buyer of drugs in the country. The

DEA The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA; ) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating drug trafficking and distribution within the U.S. It is the lead agency for domestic en ...

considers the cartel's network to be one of the 50 largest drug trafficking operations on the planet. According to the investigations, the cartel is composed of family members and friends from Edin Gačanin's old neighborhood in Sarajevo. The cartel is currently based in

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

Key people

(15 February 1963 – 27 June 2007) *

Jusuf Prazina Jusuf "Juka" Prazina (; 7 September 1962 – 4 December 1993) was a Bosnian soldier during the Bosnian War. A troubled teen, Prazina's youth allegedly contained numerous stays in various jails and correctional facilities of the former Yugoslavia. ...

(7 September 1962 – 4 December 1993) *

Mušan Topalović Mušan "Caco" Topalović (20 April 1957 – 26 October 1993) was a Bosnian gangster and warlord from Sarajevo, commander of the 10th Mountain Brigade in the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Caco was also a smuggler, thief and gangste ...

(4 October 1957 – 26 October 1993) * Zijad Turković (born 1966) * Edin Gačanin

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Organized crime in Bosnia and Herzegovina Mafia Transnational organized crime Organized crime groups in South America Organized crime groups in Peru Organized crime by ethnic or national origin

Organised-crime groups and activities

Key people

See also

References