ZAGREB, March 21, 2018 - A Ljubljana court has granted Croatia's request for the extradition of Croatian national Stjepan Prnjat, who was arrested in Ljubljana in an international operation aimed at busting a drug smuggling ring from South America, but Prnjat's defence lawyer announced an appeal which will prolong the procedure of his extradition to Croatia.
Prnjat's attorney Luka Fabiani told the Slovenian news agency STA that the Slovenian court had granted the extradition, but that the ruling was not final and that his client would appeal the extradition.
According to regulations in Slovenia, if the person in question is opposed to the extradition, the final ruling must be made within 60 days of the arrest or the first hearing and the extradition must be carried out no later than 10 days after the final decision is made.
The 47-year-old Croatian citizen was arrested in Ljubljana on March 8 in an operation against a drug smuggling ring. The police busted the ring and seized 100 kilograms of cocaine smuggled from South America to the European Union via Europe.
Eight people were arrested in Croatia and Slovenia in connection with the case. Among those arrested is a 48-year-old Spaniard, a 43-year-old national of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Netherlands, and six Croatian nationals aged 39-59, including Prnjat.
