34 workers locked in cigarette factory near Lendava, police hunt 50-year-old

Slovenian police have issued a public appeal to find 50-year-old Simeon Motaln. He is a suspect in tax evasion and human trafficking in the case of an illegal cigarette factory near Lendava, where 34 foreign nationals were found, forced to work in inhumane conditions. The case was reported by the Croatian portal Index.hr, which stresses the Zagreb part of the story: the workers reached Europe via Zagreb.

What this is about

The investigation is led by the National Bureau of Investigation. Motaln is suspected of tax evasion under Article 249 and human trafficking under Article 113 of the Slovenian criminal code. His exact role in the criminal group is not known for now. Police ask anyone with information about his movements or whereabouts to call 113 or the anonymous number 080 1200. Motaln is a suspect, and guilt has not been proven.

How the workers ended up in Lendava

The factory was discovered in the former Nafta complex near Lendava. According to Index, Slovenian investigators described it as one of the largest such plants in Europe. Inside were 33 citizens of Paraguay and one citizen of Bulgaria, who were granted the status of human trafficking victims after the police operation.

According to the investigation, the workers were lured with promises of well-paid work in Europe, with pay said to range from a few thousand to €10,000 a month. They arrived in Zagreb at the beginning of September, and from there they were driven to the factory. During the journey they did not know where they were going. On arrival, their phones were taken and they were forbidden to leave the building.

They worked 12 hours a day, without pay and without freedom of movement, in rooms with no proper ventilation or daylight. The site had a double fence and surveillance cameras.

28 million cigarettes and €9.8 million

The plant held modern machines for making and packing cigarettes, about 14 million finished cigarettes and 44 tonnes of tobacco. Police also stopped a truck carrying another 14 million cigarettes. Unpaid excise duty was estimated at more than €9.8 million, excluding VAT.

Investigators suspect an international criminal group stood behind the production, including Slovenian nationals from the Maribor area. One of the men previously suspected was brought before an investigating judge, who released him. Another is still being sought.

What about Croatia

Croatian police are also taking part in the investigation, together with Europol and the police of several European countries. Index stresses that for now it is not known who received the workers in Zagreb, or whether any crimes linked to their transport were committed on Croatian territory.