US embassy cable - 05BRATISLAVA668

UNCLAS  BRATISLAVA 000668 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PINR, SOCI, LO 
SUBJECT: (U) ORGANIZED CRIME IN SLOVAKIA (C-CN5-00417) 
 
REF: STATE 146246 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED -- PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY. 
 
1.  (U)  In response to reftel inquiry regarding organized 
crime in Slovakia, post provides the following response: 
 
A. (U)  ARE THERE ORGANIZED CRIME GROUPS PRESENT IN THE HOST 
COUNTRY THAT ORIGINATED IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTRIES:  RUSSIA, 
UKRAINE, ITALY, THE BALKANS (ALBANIA, SERBIA, BOSNIA), JAPAN, 
GREATER CHINA (CHINA, HONG KONG, MACAU, OR TAIWAN), OR WEST 
AFRICA? WHAT IS THE EXTENT OR NATURE OF THEIR PRESENCE? 
 
(SBU)  ANSWER:  According to the Ministry of the Interior, in 
addition to Slovak organized crime groups, there are 
organized crime groups present in Slovakia representing 
Vietnam, China, Ukraine, Russia, Bulgaria, Kosovo, as well as 
"Arab" criminal elements.  According to the MOI's 2004 report 
on "Organized and Criminal Groups," these groups involve 353 
"full members" in addition to an unknown number of 
associates.  The MOI indicates that these full members are 
located in Bratislava (185), western Slovakia (52), central 
Slovakia (50), and eastern Slovakia (66). 
 
B.  (U)  WHAT TYPES OF CRIMINAL ACTIVITY ARE THESE GROUPS 
ENGAGED IN? WHAT IS THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THE CRIMINAL 
ACTIVITY? 
 
(SBU) ANSWER:  Organized crime in Slovakia engages mostly in 
drug smuggling, prostitution/human trafficking, extortion, 
and to a smaller extent, arms smuggling.  According to the 
MOI, they also participate in economic activities and money 
laundering by and through such means as restaurants, retail 
and large scale sales, alcohol and cigarette 
smuggling/distribution, and the operation of private security 
firms (members of several of which have allegedly worked as 
"muscle" for their organized crime-affiliated bosses). 
 
(SBU)  According to MOI information, an organized crime ring 
made up of Kosovar Albanians dominates the drug trade, 
smuggling drugs (primarily heroin) into Slovakia from Turkey 
and the Balkans and distributing them using unemployed Roma 
dealers. 
 
(SBU)  Sources in the MOI also report arms smuggling in the 
Piestany region, where "Arab organized crime" is running an 
illegal weapons business (Note:  We doubt the accuracy of 
this particular assessment.  End Note). 
 
(SBU)  2004 figures from the General Prosecutor's office 
indicate that 2,172 individuals were investigated (1,016 were 
sentenced) for the 29 crimes identified by the GOS as 
activities of "organized crime."  These crimes include 
illegal production and distribution of drugs, robbery, 
counterfeiting, money laundering, blackmailing, illegal 
possession of weapons, trafficking in persons, and theft.  Of 
these, the majority were associated with narcotics smuggling 
(1,315 investigated, 700 sentenced). 
 
C.  (U)  WHAT FRONT COMPANIES DO THE GROUPS USE?  WHAT 
RELATIONSHIP, IF ANY, IS THERE BETWEEN THE CRIMINAL GROUPS 
LISTED ABOVE AND CRIME GROUPS INDIGENOUS TO THE HOST COUNTRY? 
ARE THERE INDICATIONS THAT THE GROUPS LISTED ABOVE COOPERATE 
WITH EACH OTHER OR OTHER INTERNATIONAL CRIMINALS? 
 
(SBU)  ANSWER:  While it is widely rumored that many downtown 
Bratislava restaurants are mafia fronts, it is more likely 
that they are being confused for such because of their 
payment of "protection money" to local crime bosses.  The 
protection is occasionally provided; several years ago, a 
pair of unruly British bar patrons refused to leave a 
downtown establishment and were shot and wounded by "mafia" 
henchmen. 
 
(SBU)  The smaller "foreign" groups (those named above) are 
smaller in number and, in terms of scope and operations, 
weaker than the indigenous Slovak groups.  Cooperation may be 
more of an economic arrangement; the MOI tells us that many 
members of these groups "rotate" through various affiliations. 
 
D.  (U)  ARE THERE INDICATIONS OF LINKS OR CONNECTIONS 
BETWEEN THESE GROUPS AND TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS IN THE HOST 
COUNTRY? 
 
(SBU)  ANSWER:  Neither the Embassy nor the MOI has any 
indications that organized criminal elements in Slovakia have 
any relation with terrorist organizations. 
 
E.  (U)  IS THERE EVIDENCE OF CORRUPT RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN 
THESE GROUPS AND HOST COUNTRY BUSINESSMEN OR GOVERNMENT 
OFFICIALS? WHAT IS THE NATURE OF THESE RELATIONSHIPS? IF 
POSSIBLE, PLEASE PROVIDE EXAMPLES OF THESE CRIME GROUPS 
COERCING BUSINESS OR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS. 
 
(SBU)  ANSWER:  There are reports of low-level government 
corruption regarding cigarette and human smuggling among 
police officers, and the head of a government internment camp 
for illegal immigrants was transferred after he was 
investigated for cooperating with human smuggling rings. 
While corruption remains among low-level government 
officials, especially in rural localities, neither the MOI 
nor the Embassy believes there is significant coercion of 
government officials by these groups. 
 
(SBU)  Rural businesses may be more susceptible to influence 
by organized crime, particularly the extortion of "protection 
money." 
VALLEE 
 
 
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