At today's press conference the results of a successful criminal investigation were presented in which Slovenian police officers cooperated with their Italian and Croatian counterparts. After the final action that took place on 15 September in Koper, criminal charges were filed against five persons for illicit drug production and trafficking, participation in a criminal organization and illegal arms trade.
The photo features participants (in the middle, starting from the left): Nicola Sibilia, the Head of the Organized Crime Investigation Group of the Trieste Financial Watch, Dean Jurič, the Head of the Criminal Police Division of the Koper Police Directorate, and Slavko Koroš, the Head of the Organized Crime Division of the Criminal Police Directorate at the General Police Directorate.
As stated by the Head of the Criminal Police Division of the Koper Police Directorate Dean Jurič, at the beginning of July 2010 the Koper criminal police officers received a notification from their Italian counterparts that officers of the Italian Financial Watch (Guardia di Finanza, G.O.A - Compagnia Trieste) were conducting an investigation into a criminal organization. The latter was supposed to consist of persons from the territory of former Yugoslav republics engaged in international cocaine trafficking. The investigation also revealed that one of those persons resided at the Slovenian coast.
In the joint criminal investigation, which also included officers from the Italian Financial Watch, Pula Police Directorate (Croatia) and Koper Police Directorate, the investigating officers gathered enough evidence to file criminal charges at the Koper District State Prosecutor's Office with regard to:
- 4 criminal offences of production of and trafficking in illicit drugs, illicit doping substances for athletes and drug precursors,
- 1 criminal offence of criminal organization and
- 1 criminal offence of illegal production and trading in arms and explosives.
Altogether, criminal police officers filed criminal charges against five suspects:
- a 46-year-old citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina staying in Slovenia,
- a 29-year-old citizen of Croatia from the Umag region,
- a 57-year old resident of Ljubljana,
- a 35-year-old citizen of Croatia as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina illegally staying in Slovenia, and
- a 49-year-old resident of Koper.
During the investigation, criminal police officers carried out three seizures of illicit cocaine, altogether 216.83 grams.
In the final phase of the criminal investigation held in Koper on 15 September afternoon, during their attempt to sell 542 gram cocaine, all above stated suspects, except the resident of Koper, were arrested by police officers, whereupon several house searches were carried out.
In the apartment of the 35-year-old citizen of Croatia as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina several pieces of weapons and ammunition were found and seized: a CZ pistol and two Zastava pistols, one with a remodelled gun barrel and one with an erased serial number. During the house search also a larger amount of money was confiscated, approximately EUR 70,000.
It was established that a part of this money originated from illicit drug trafficking. During the entire criminal investigation approximately 760 grams of cocaine were seized.
The criminal investigation continues, also within the framework of international police cooperation, by exchanging collected evidence and arresting some additional suspects who are hiding abroad and were according to the evidence gathered participating in illicit drug trafficking.
Press release in Italian: Informazione di interesse pubblico
According to Slavko Koroš, the Head of the Organized Crime Division of the Criminal Police Directorate at the General Police Directorate, the Slovenian criminal police assessed the cooperation of the Slovenian Police with security authorities from foreign countries as extremely correct, professional, legal and predominantly efficient and effective: "This is proven by the results of our work in this year and by the concrete criminal investigation that was presented today. The fact is that organized crime has long ago exceeded the regional and national borders which requires internationally harmonized and planned activities in fighting against organized crime, in cooperation with neighbouring countries, EU Member States and other countries (e.g. from the Western Balkans)."