They prevented the entry of about 10.000 migrants from Montenegro

The border police of Bosnia and Herzegovina prevented almost 10.000 migrants who tried to enter the country illegally since 2017.

This was announced by the spokeswoman of that institution, Franka Vican, to "Vijesti".

"In the period from January 1, 1 to October 2017, 31, the BiH Border Police detected 10 persons illegally crossing the state border or attempting to illegally cross the state border from Montenegro to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Also, in the aforementioned period of time, the BiH Border Police took measures to prevent illegal crossing of the state border at the entrance to BiH from Montenegro for 9.966 persons", according to Vican's answers.

Vijesti reporters spent several days in Pljevlja with citizens of Morocco, Afghanistan, Iran, Syria... and witnessed their attempts to enter the neighboring country illegally.

The Border Police of Bosnia and Herzegovina announced that during 2017, at the border between the two countries, their officers recorded two crimes - people smuggling, for which three people were suspected.

"During 2018, members of the Border Police of Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the border between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, registered thirteen criminal acts - human smuggling, for which 14 persons were suspected. In the first 10 months of 2019, members of the Border Police of Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the border between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, registered seven criminal offenses - people smuggling, for which 11 people were suspected," Vican said.

According to her, the data are slightly different when it comes to the total number of detected criminal offenses - human smuggling, including criminal offenses - organizing a group or association to commit a criminal offense - migrant smuggling:

"During 2017, a total of 28 criminal offenses - human smuggling, for which 64 persons were suspected, were discovered... During 2018, a total of 74 criminal offenses - human smuggling, for which 135 persons were suspected... In the first In the 10 months of 2019, a total of 68 criminal offenses were discovered - people smuggling, for which 107 persons were suspected," according to the responses of the BiH Border Police.

65 persons were processed in Montenegro

Dozens of migrants try to cross illegally from Montenegro to Bosnia and Herzegovina every night, in order to continue to the European Union countries, but there are no official data on how many of them succeed in this.

In the territory of that municipality, in eleven months of 2019, the police prosecuted seven persons on suspicion of having committed eight criminal acts, illegal crossing of the state border and people smuggling"....

A few days ago, Pljevljak Danko Danilović (35) was suspected of having committed a criminal offense - illegal border crossing, after he allegedly charged two migrants 550 euros at the end of October to provide them with safe passage to BiH. The Montenegrin border police returned them to the town of Golubinja.

"From January 1, 2017 to today, 65 persons have been prosecuted for the criminal offense of illegal border crossing and people smuggling. During 2017, a total of eight of these criminal acts were registered, for which criminal charges were filed against 13 persons. When it comes to 2018, nine criminal offenses were registered during that period - illegal crossing of the state border and people smuggling, for which criminal charges were filed against nine persons. In 2019, a total of 33 such crimes were registered, for which criminal charges were filed against 43 persons," the Police Administration announced.

Vijesti reporters were told that migrants who decide to embark on the adventure of illegally crossing the border on their own along the forest paths, eventually pay for taxi transportation from Pljevlja to the border villages.

Others, however, claim that they have to allocate a few thousand euros to people who guarantee their safe entry into Bosnia and Herzegovina, bypassing the official border crossings.

"It's a wide net, everyone who comes here knows who does the job and where to find it. They know that he transports migrants in a van... They took 3.000 euros from an Afghan man with two children to transfer them to Bosnia and Herzegovina," said one of the interlocutors familiar with these events a few days ago.

The International Organization for Migrants (IOM) responded to the news that the number of migrants entering Montenegro is increasing - from 807 who entered in 2017 to 7.477 who arrived in the country this year.

"Migrants most often go from Montenegro to Bosnia and Herzegovina, using the route to Nikšić and Pljevlja," replied the head of the IOM office for Montenegro, Dušica Živković.

One of the taxi drivers from Pljevlja claims that he was convicted for no reason, even though he drove the migrants to the bar, not across the border...

The Police Administration unofficially announced that taxi drivers are not prohibited from transporting migrants, but that border police officers inform their colleagues from the criminal department if they see foreign nationals in vehicles not far from the border and past the main roads...

Sources of the newspaper claim that around 10.000 migrants from Podgorica have arrived in Pljevlja in three years, but in that municipality in the north of Montenegro, almost none of those who fail to cross the border illegally remain, most of the time they return to the capital.

Some migrants stay for a couple of nights in order to try to enter BiH again. There are several secret paths available to them.

They do not hide that they have routes typed into their phones that they follow precisely, but also that almost everyone receives instructions on which police points to avoid, where who will wait for them, who and with what drives them to the place from which the border is closest to them...

About thirty migrants with whom "Vijesti" reporters spoke, said that they arrived in Pljevlja on a regular bus line from Podgorica, which was documented by the photojournalist.

On Saturday evening - November 23, 62 migrants arrived in Pljevlja. A night later, another 19 of them, in just one bus.

In a few minutes, a dozen of them were already on their way to the border. Outside the fence of the city bus station, transporters were waiting for them...

Since 2017, migrants have committed 27 crimes, including attempted murder

From January 1, 2017 until today, there were 27 criminal acts committed by migrants on the territory of Montenegro, including one attempted murder. This was announced to "Vijesta" from the Police Directorate.

"From January 1, 2017 until today, there were 27 criminal acts committed by migrants on the territory of Montenegro. Of these, eight are criminal offenses of theft, one criminal offense of confiscation of a vehicle, two criminal offenses of document forgery, two criminal offenses of aggravated theft, five criminal offenses of aggravated theft in an extended period, four criminal offenses of robbery, one criminal offense of destruction and damage to another's property. , one criminal offense of minor bodily injury, one criminal offense of illicit sexual activity, one criminal offense of human trafficking and one criminal offense of attempted murder," the Police Administration said in its response.