Strengthening Specialized Departments for Organized Crime and Corruption

Summary

The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) of the U.S. Department of State seeks applications from qualified organizations to implement a program aimed at enhancing the operational capacity of the Specialized Departments for Organized Crime and Corruption in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) and Republika Srpska (RS). Bosnia and Herzegovina sits along the "Balkan route" for drug and weapons trafficking, and BiH-based criminals are key members of powerful transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) that cooperate with global cartels, launder hundreds of millions of dollars through BiH, and rely on corruption and weak judicial capacity to evade accountability. This program will address critical gaps in prosecutorial expertise, interagency coordination, and international cooperation by strengthening the capacity of FBiH and RS Specialized Department prosecutors and judges to effectively investigate, prosecute, and secure convictions in complex organized crime and corruption cases. Through targeted technical assistance, mentoring partnerships with U.S. prosecutors, and institutional and legal reforms, the program will degrade TCO networks that threaten U.S. security, undermine governance, and destabilize a key European partner.