The Brčko District Police have apprehended eight individuals suspected of child trafficking following the discovery of 31 children at a residence in Brčko.

“As part of the ongoing efforts to locate the 31 children, eight individuals have been detained on reasonable suspicion of committing criminal offenses related to ‘human trafficking’, ‘child trafficking’, and ‘neglect’ or endangerment of a child,” stated the Brčko District Police.

Dževida Hukičević, spokesperson for the district police, informed reporters that the investigation is intricate and involves several avenues of inquiry. Due to the case’s complexity, cooperation has been established as directed by the prosecutor with the Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA), the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, along with international collaboration through EUROPOL.

Two days prior, police, in conjunction with the Center for Social Work and the Red Cross, discovered 31 children in a house in Brčko, after which the children were relocated to a secure environment.

Media reports in BiH indicated that the children found possessed Croatian passports and were under the care of a woman, likely an Italian citizen, who has since been arrested.

Among those detained is reportedly a court police officer along with his mother.

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