Luan Oruqi Pleaded Guilty to Drug Trafficking

Luan Oruqi pleaded guilty to smuggling 6.65 kilograms of heroin from Serbia to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) in the beginning of this year. The BiH Prosecutor’s Office said that the street value of the drug is around one million KM.

At the earlier hearings, the defense and the prosecutors could not agree on the length of Oruqi’s sentence, because defense attorney Mirza Kovač asked for a sentence less than five years in prison, which the prosecutor Oleg Čavka had refused.

The panel of judges will mete out a sentence on June 14.

At a late April’s hearing Oruqi pleaded not guilty for drug trafficking even though he admitted to the crime during the prosecution. His attorney said that he did not plead not guilty because this would lead to a longer sentence.

At today’s hearing, the BiH Prosecutor’s Office admitted evidence while the defendant’s defense presented its closing arguments and said that Oruqi had cooperated with the prosecutors all along and that he did not have a criminal record.

At the earlier hearings, Kovač said that Oruqi’s family will be forced to emigrate from Kosovo after Oruqi revealed the name of the person who signed him up. Kovač said that Oruqi’s uncle was killed in a bomb attack in Peć after his client pleaded guilty.

Officers of the State Investigation and Protection Agency arrested Oruqi in a Sarajevo suburb of Ilidža on Feb 2. The police found drugs in his car that he had picked up in Montenegro and smuggled from Serbia, according to the indictment.

The defendant told the Prosecutor’s Office that he smuggled the drugs into BiH through a border crossing near Višegrad. He proceeded to Sarajevo where he was to deliver the drugs to an unknown person and receive €5,000. He was arrested before the drug changed hands.

Oruqi said he felt remorse for the crime he committed at the Court. He said he was blackmailed and was left with no choice fearing for life of his wife and children.

“I wish I could turn back the clock, to make it right, but I had no choice,” said the defendant.

Forty-years old Oruqi resides in Priština. He is a manager by profession. He is the owner of a Kosovo fashion agency “Model Agency” which hired also BiH models.

Tags:

Center for Investigative Journalism is the holder of the certificate

Readers’ support helps CIN reveal corruption and organized crime.
Your donation supports investigative journalism as a public good.

Latest news

UIOBiH
Indictment Confirmed Against “Blackshirts” from the ITA BiH
The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina has confirmed the indictment brought by the State Prosecutor’s Office against Indirect Taxation Authority inspectors Jelena Majstorović,...
NASLOVNA_Policija RS
The RS Government Regulation on the Transfer of SIPA Employees in Breach of the Law
The day after SIPA employees were called to transfer to the police bodies of the RS Ministry of Interior, the ministry claims to have already received the first...
Zgrada SIPA Banja Luka Foto Mubarek Asani
SIPA Employees Ordered to Leave the Office in Banja Luka
Employees of the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) at the Regional Office in Banja Luka have been instructed to vacate the building and retrieve their...
Load more

Preuzimanje sadržaja Centra za istraživačko novinarstvo dopušteno je uz obavezno navođenje izvora www.cin.ba

Anonimna prijava

Svojim anonimnim prijavama doprinosite integritetu naše zajednice. Molimo vas da iskoristite ovu formu kako biste sigurno prijavili bilo kakvu sumnju u korupciju ili nezakonitu aktivnost koju primijetite. Vaša hrabrost ključna je za očuvanje naših vrijednosti i promicanje transparentnosti.

Downloading of the content of the CIN is permitted with the mandatory reference to the source at www.cin.ba.

Anonymous Report

By submitting your anonymous reports, you contribute to the integrity of our community. Please use this form to safely report any suspicions of corruption or illegal activities you may observe. Your courage is crucial in upholding our values and promoting transparency.