Smugglers Caught in Two Cars Near Slavonski Šamac
Police found several migrants without residence permits in two cars with Zagreb license plates. The drivers (30 and 25) were ordered one month of pretrial detention by a judge.
Police found several migrants without residence permits in two cars with Zagreb license plates. The drivers (30 and 25) were ordered one month of pretrial detention by a judge.
Two men, a 30-year-old and a 25-year-old, will end up in Požega prison after the Brod-Posavina police arrested them on suspicion of organizing the illegal transport of foreign nationals through Croatia for personal gain. The investigating judge of the County Court in Slavonski Brod ordered them into pretrial detention for one month, and they were stopped in two vehicles with Zagreb license plates.
Officers from the Slavonski Šamac Border Police Station were monitoring the state border on August 4, 2026, when, around 10:30 AM, they spotted two suspicious cars. It soon turned out that, besides the drivers, they contained several foreign nationals who were staying illegally in the Republic of Croatia, however, the police did not disclose the exact number of migrants, their origin, or their final destination.
Both were immediately deprived of their liberty and taken in on suspicion of the criminal offense of unlawful entry, movement, and residence in the Republic of Croatia, another EU member state, or a Schengen Agreement signatory country. The criminal investigation revealed that during July, the suspects had arranged with, for now, unknown persons to transport foreign nationals to a predetermined destination, a service for which they were to receive financial or other undue benefit.
Proceedings against the migrants found in the vehicles were conducted in accordance with the Aliens Act, while criminal charges were filed against the 30-year-old and 25-year-old with the Municipal State Attorney's Office in Slavonski Brod. After being handed over to the detention supervisor, they were brought before the investigating judge and then transferred to the prison in Požega.
This case reveals how important drivers are in smuggling chains, stopping such transport is not just a routine traffic check, but can be a crucial step in uncovering the organizers who, from behind the scenes, arrange routes, collect payment for transport, and manage the entire chain of illegal migration.
