At today's press conference in Postojna, Slavko Koroš, head of the Organised Crime Section at the GPD Criminal Police Directorate, and Janez Godeša, head of the Criminal Police Section at the Postojna Police Directorate, gave details of the recent arrest of suspects and seizure of a large quantity of illegal drugs and doping substances (anabolic steroids).
Discovery and seizure of heroin:
On the morning of 18 November 2008, police officers from the Jelšane Border Police Station carried out a detailed check of a 32-year-old Macedonian citizen with temporary residence in Germany who arrived at the border crossing in a car. The check was carried out on the basis of the National Border Control Act.
During the search their attention was drawn to the screws of the right rear panel in the area of the back seat. These screws were only partially screwed in and there were visible signs of a screwdriver having been used. Inspection with an endoscope showed that there were several packages covered with brown adhesive tape behind the lining.
Suspecting that the packages contained illegal drugs, the police officers removed one package, partially opened it and tested the brown contents. The test confirmed that it contained heroin.
At this point detectives from the Criminal Police Section at the Postojna Police Directorate were called in and on the basis of an order from the investigating magistrate at Koper District Court they performed a personal search of the suspect and a search of his vehicle. During the vehicle search they found and seized 16 packages wrapped in brown adhesive tape that were hidden behind the left and right rear panels of the vehicle in the area of the back seat. The gross weight of the seized heroin was 8.48 kg.
The 32-year-old Macedonian citizen was arrested and the following day was brought before the investigating magistrate of Koper District Court, who remanded him in custody after taking evidence. His vehicle was impounded by the police. For the purposes of gathering further information in connection with organised trafficking, the criminal police liaised with foreign security forces. The investigation continues. According to information gathered to date, the drugs were intended for the German black market. The wholesale value of the heroin is around 150,000 euros.
Discovery and seizure of doping substances (anabolic steroids):
At midday on 13 November a 28-year-old Bulgarian citizen arrived at the Jelšane International Border Crossing. On entering Slovenia, he was subjected to a customs check by customs officers from the Jelšane Customs Post. While examining a travelling bag that was on a bed behind the driver's seat, the customs officers found a box of chocolates. On closer inspection of the box they found that while the top layer contained chocolates, the bottom layer contained Naposim tablets.
These tablets contain methandienone, which is an anabolic androgenic steroid and appears on the list of banned substances and procedures as a doping substance. Tablets were also found in a camera case inside the travelling bag. A total of 4,300 Naposim tablets were seized.
Customs officers handed the man over to the police, who arrested him on suspicion of the criminal offence of illegal manufacture of and trafficking in illegal drugs, doping substances and preliminary ingredients for the manufacture of illegal drugs under Article 186/I of the Penal Code (KZ-1), and on 14 November he was brought before the duty investigating magistrate of Koper District Court, who remanded him in custody. According to information gathered to date, the tablets (with a total value of several thousand euros) were destined for the Spanish market. The above criminal offence carries a term of imprisonment of one to ten years.
