Officials from the Financial Administration of the Republic of Slovenia (FURS) and criminal investigators from the Koper Police Directorate have discovered and seized a large quantity of illicit drugs. The discovery, seizure and investigation were presented to the public in detail at a press conference on 15 May 2025.
The press conference was led by Nedjan Jerman, Deputy Director of the Koper Financial Office, and Dejan Grandič, Acting Head of the Criminal Police Division of the Koper Police Directorate.
According to their presentation, FURS carried out a customs control in Sežana on 28 April 2025 on a shipment of goods that had been sent from Thailand to the Netherlands by ship and from there by lorry to Slovenia. The importer was a Danish company and the intended recipient was a Dutch company. Upon checking the customs declaration and the related documentation, FURS officials found that the shipment consisted of tea, imported in packets—namely 9 pallets or 140 cartons.
Based on a risk analysis, the officials decided to refer the shipment to the Administration of the Republic of Slovenia for Food Safety, Veterinary Sector and Plant Protection (AFSVSPP). During sampling and testing, the AFSVSPP found that while most packages contained a substance with a consistent appearance, one differed noticeably in both appearance and odour, prompting suspicions of an illicit drug. The findings were reported to FURS officials, who in turn informed the criminal investigators of the Koper Criminal Police Division, who took over the investigation.
The criminal investigators examined the shipment and isolated the packet containing the suspicious substance. The packet was then sent to the National Forensic Laboratory for analysis, which confirmed the substance to be cannabis. During a further check of the shipment, 925 kilograms of cannabis were found among the declared goods, packed in several smaller packages of around 300 grams. All findings were reported to the competent District State Prosecutor’s Office in Koper, which is conducting the pre-trial proceedings. Criminal investigators are continuing their activities to identify the origin and the intended recipient of the drugs.
On the black market, 925 kilograms (gross weight) of cannabis would be worth approximately EUR 2,312,500. In Slovenia, the production and trafficking of illicit drugs is punishable by a prison sentence ranging from 1 to 15 years.
In 2024, the Koper Police Directorate investigated 70 cases related to drug trafficking offences (79 in 2023). That same year saw two major drug seizures in the Port of Koper, one involving cocaine and the other the illicit drug kratom.
