Waste in Gospić Came from Three Countries
Europol says at least 35,000 tons were illegally dumped, and expert analysis in Gospić revealed dangerous concentrations of copper, lead, and antimony.
Europol says at least 35,000 tons were illegally dumped, and expert analysis in Gospić revealed dangerous concentrations of copper, lead, and antimony.
Illegal waste dumping in Gospić is taking on international proportions. Europol has announced that at least 35,000 tons of illegally dumped waste were found at three locations in Croatia, specifically in Gospić, Varaždin, and Benkovac. According to investigation data, part of this material came from Slovenia, Italy, and Germany, and the estimated illicit profit of the criminal network was at least four million euros.
According to suspicions by USKOK, the criminal group was organized by Varaždin-based entrepreneur Josip Šincek. Through his affiliated companies, he arranged the import of ground plastic and other mixed waste from Slovenia and Italy, and ensured the delivery of medical and other waste from Croatian suppliers. Europol also mentioned waste arriving from Germany.
The criminal group imported waste that was falsely presented as recyclable plastic, while some other waste, including medical waste, came from Croatian companies. The suspects used legitimate companies in Italy, as well as transport and other legitimate firms in Italy and Croatia. Laboratory analyses showed that the waste, as declared, was actually hazardous under legal provisions.
On August 6, 2026, USKOK published the findings and supplementary findings of the Faculty of Geotechnical Engineering at the University of Zagreb for the industrial complex at 50 Bilajska Street in Gospić. In the investigated area, it is estimated that there are about 37,000 tons of mixed technogenic waste. This figure refers exclusively to the investigated area in Gospić, while Europol's 35,000 tons refers to multiple locations in Croatia. The materials found included parts from the processing of electrical and electronic equipment, plastic, construction and mineral materials, and fragments of medical waste.
In representative samples of buried waste, the hazardous property HP14, i.e., ecotoxicity, was established, while the so-called black piles were classified as hazardous waste.
The expert analysis also revealed significant chemical contamination of the soil. In some samples, copper values were measured up to 9,946 milligrams per kilogram, lead up to 1,051 milligrams, and antimony up to 317 milligrams per kilogram. Experts noted that the removal of vegetation and chemical contamination of the soil caused degradation and irreversible destruction of habitats in part of the location.
The supplementary expert analysis also addressed groundwater. Samples were taken from three piezometers, two located downstream of the landfill and one upstream, which served as a reference. In downstream samples, PFAS compounds were detected, while in the upstream reference sample, these compounds were not present above the detection limit.
Former Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Tomislav Ćorić enters the story through the Waste Management Act adopted in 2021. The Croatian Ministry of Economy emphasizes that on July 31, 2021, when the new Act came into force, the obligation to register in the Register of Waste Exporters and Importers ceased for shipments not subject to the notification procedure. In publicly available information, Ćorić is not linked to criminal offenses in the Gospić case.
For such shipments, the established conditions for cross-border transport and accompanying documents continued to apply. This Act also established rules for maintaining an electronic register on waste generation and flow, known as e-ONTO. The Act clearly mandates that any person conducting cross-border waste transport must maintain e-ONTO, both for waste requiring notification and for waste that does not.
Therefore, the cessation of the Register of Exporters and Importers in 2021 did not imply the abolition of records and documentation related to cross-border waste transport. For various types of shipments, other obligations remained in force, such as accompanying documentation and entry in e-ONTO. However, it remains unclear what impact the abolition of the Register had on the administrative oversight of cross-border waste shipments.
