The facility was discovered inside a former industrial complex during an investigation by Slovenia’s Financial Administration into businesses suspected of trading raw tobacco. Equipped with modern machinery and two automated packaging lines, the factory was capable of producing cigarettes at high speed. Searches at the main site and a storage facility in Celje led to the seizure of finished cigarettes and more than 44 tonnes of processed tobacco. Authorities also intercepted a lorry carrying another 14 million cigarettes.
According to Financial Administration representative Dušan Pečnik, unpaid excise duties exceed €10 million, including approximately €2.1 million linked to cigarettes found at the sites and €5.6 million associated with the seized tobacco. The finished products carried English-language packaging, suggesting they were intended for markets in the United Kingdom or Ireland.
Among those found at the facility were 34 foreign workers, including 33 Paraguayan nationals.
Investigators say recruitment agents in South America had promised them legal, well-paid factory jobs in Europe. After arriving via Zagreb Airport on tourist visas, they were allegedly transported to the site, had their phones confiscated and were confined in monitored accommodation with poor ventilation. Workers reportedly endured shifts lasting up to 12 hours and were prevented from freely contacting the outside world. The rescued individuals have been placed in asylum accommodation and are receiving medical, legal and psychological support.
Slovenian police suspect the operation was run by an international criminal network, allegedly led locally by two Slovenian citizens from the Maribor region. One suspect has been detained, while the search for the second continues. The National Bureau of Investigation and specialised prosecutors are working with authorities in Croatia, Austria, Hungary and Italy, as well as Europol, to investigate the wider network and trace the supply chain.
