STA, 24 January 2019 - Several people were arrested on Wednesday as police busted a well-organised prostitution ring as part of a search in a club in Nova Gorica, western Slovenia, the news portal 24ur.com reported. The suspects have made more than EUR 10m from the illegal business, the portal says, citing an unofficial source.
Drago Menegalija, the spokesperson for Slovenian criminal police, told the portal that the sting had been carried out by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
The police later reported that investigation was under way against 19 citizens of Slovenia and Romania and one company over the abuse of prostitution, exploitation and production and sale of drugs.
According to NBI deputy director David Antolovič, abuse of prostitution is the focus of the main part of the investigation.
Sex work is decriminalised in Slovenia, but not under conditions of exploitation or abuse
The investigation has established that a well-organised ring organised exploitation of prostitution under the pretext of running hotel, spa and massage business in a company incorporated especially for the purpose.
The ring is suspected to have exploited more than 100 women since August 2014, making several million euro in the process, Antolovič said.
The investigation continues with examination and analysis of the objects seized and interviews of the suspects.
Asked about indications of money laundering, Antolovič said that any investigation into acts generating proceeds would also look into whether part of them may have been invested into various activities or if attempts have been made to conceal their origin in any other way.
According to 24ur.com, the owners as well as employees of the club, which is said to have been engaged in prostitution for several years, are among the suspects.
The NBI, which investigates the gravest crimes, also carried out some house searches in the area of Maribor, north-east.
It is one of the largest cases of prostitution in Slovenia ever, said the police, which have conducted five personal searches, 10 vehicles searches, seven house searches and 16 searches of business premises.
Prostitution is decriminalised in Slovenia, which means those who practice it do not commit any crime. However, when sex workers are exploited or abused, this is crime, often linked to human trafficking.
Slovenia is a destination country in human trafficking, and the victims are most often exploited at night clubs or apartments rented by criminal rings, crime inspector Damijan Roškarič said.
He said that the perpetrators were most often Slovenian citizens, while the victims most often came from Serbia and Ukraine.
