Slovak mafia
Encyclopedia
Slovak mafia constitutes various organized crime
groups in Slovakia
, controlled primarily by Slovak interests. Slovak mafia does not have significant international presence and even in Slovakia, their activities are limited by boundaries set by the powerful Russian mafia
(including Ukrainian and Chechen mafia
) and various Balkan groups controlling much of the heroin trade. Slovak mafia is especially active in security business, construction and ownership of restaurants and nightclubs. According to the United States Department of Defense
"both indigenous and foreign organized crime groups are well established in Slovakia". Under Slovak law, the creation or support of an organized crime group constitutes a crime.
In its modern form, the mafia is a young phenomenon in Slovakia, having truly emerged only after the end
of communism
in 1989. According to known Slovak sociologist Pavol Haulik from the MVK poll agency, "we can state that people imagine that the mafia has a very strong influence in Slovakia". In 2005 a list of mafia members suspected by the Slovak police leaked to the public, complete with lists of registered weapons and vehicles followed by two leaks of updated lists in 2011.
overthrew communism
and in 1993, Czech Republic and Slovak Republic separated. In the first half of 1990s, the issue of organized crime was underrated and legislature concerning the fight against it was inadequate. Crime rates in Slovakia
soared in the 1990s, and first post-communist gangsters emerged. At the time of the 1994-1998 Vladimír Mečiar
's government, organized crime became well established in the country and it penetrated the highest political positions (an often cited example is the Slovak Secret Service
under Ivan Lexa
and his deputy Jaroslav Svěchota
).
, Banská Bystrica
, Košice
) and the southern Slovakia. According to former Chief investigator Jaroslav Ivor, organized crime is more prevalent in areas with good economic background. Southern Slovakia is also close to the Slovak-Hungarian border which provides a safety mechanism. Traditional ties to the community in a given region are also important.
According to an anonymous investigator cited in Pravda (13.07.11, page 4), the political party which gets the Ministry of Interior for the election term gets to give out orders which mafia groups are to be let alone, and which groups will be put under pressure. According to the source it is possible to ascertain in each given time-frame which groups are avoided by the police and which groups are actively targeted by police raids and arrested. Besides the common overlap between policemen and organized crime associates, Slovak media routinely report on higher-ranking police officers having ties to the organized crime.
.
For a long time, the Slovak police refused to acknowledge its truthfulness and it wasn't until January 2011, that police Chief Jaroslav Spišiak admitted, that the mafia list was his idea to better fight against organized crime. "They were supposed to serve as an aid for patrolling policemen, so that they know who they are dealing with when conducting controls, to anticipate that they are dangerous", said Spišiak at that time.
It has been immediately noted that numerous important figures of the Slovak mafia are missing from the list. Also, there are several mistakes present, such as a member of Takáčovci is listed under Jakšíkovci.
Third mafia list was leaked by a policewoman working at the Office of combating organized crime (Úrad boja proti organizovanej kriminalite) who downloaded it on her USB flash drive
and later into the notebook of another person. She would fail a polygraph test and later confessed to the deed. On October 10, 2011, she was charged with abusing her powers.
Organized crime
Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
groups in Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
, controlled primarily by Slovak interests. Slovak mafia does not have significant international presence and even in Slovakia, their activities are limited by boundaries set by the powerful Russian mafia
Russian Mafia
The Russian Mafia is a name applied to organized crime syndicates in Russia and Ukraine. The mafia in various countries take the name of the country, as for example the Ukrainian mafia....
(including Ukrainian and Chechen mafia
Chechen mafia
The Chechen mafia is one of the largest organized crime groups operating in the former Soviet Union next to established Russian mafia gangs, which originally consisted of criminals of Chechen ethnicity who later also tried to recruit former Russian special military forces, police and army officers...
) and various Balkan groups controlling much of the heroin trade. Slovak mafia is especially active in security business, construction and ownership of restaurants and nightclubs. According to the United States Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
"both indigenous and foreign organized crime groups are well established in Slovakia". Under Slovak law, the creation or support of an organized crime group constitutes a crime.
In its modern form, the mafia is a young phenomenon in Slovakia, having truly emerged only after the end
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution or Gentle Revolution was a non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia that took place from November 17 – December 29, 1989...
of communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
in 1989. According to known Slovak sociologist Pavol Haulik from the MVK poll agency, "we can state that people imagine that the mafia has a very strong influence in Slovakia". In 2005 a list of mafia members suspected by the Slovak police leaked to the public, complete with lists of registered weapons and vehicles followed by two leaks of updated lists in 2011.
History
In 1989, CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
overthrew communism
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution or Gentle Revolution was a non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia that took place from November 17 – December 29, 1989...
and in 1993, Czech Republic and Slovak Republic separated. In the first half of 1990s, the issue of organized crime was underrated and legislature concerning the fight against it was inadequate. Crime rates in Slovakia
Crime in Slovakia
Slovakia is a Central European country with a history of relatively low crime. While crime became more widespread after the fall of communism in 1989, it remains low when compared to many other post-communist countries....
soared in the 1990s, and first post-communist gangsters emerged. At the time of the 1994-1998 Vladimír Mečiar
Vladimír Meciar
Vladimír Mečiar is a Slovak politician who was Prime Minister of Slovakia from 1990 to 1991, from 1992 to 1994, and from 1994 to 1998. He is the leader of the People's Party - Movement for a Democratic Slovakia...
's government, organized crime became well established in the country and it penetrated the highest political positions (an often cited example is the Slovak Secret Service
Slovenská informacná služba
Slovenská informačná služba is an intelligence agency of the government of Slovakia.- History :Slovenská informačná služba was established on January 21, 1993 as a descendant of the Federálna bezpečnostná informačná služba FBIS...
under Ivan Lexa
Ivan Lexa
Ivan Lexa, Ing. is the former head of the Slovak Secret Service from 1995 to 1998. One of the closest allies of the former autocratic Prime Minister of Slovakia Vladimír Mečiar, under Lexa the Secret Service committed numerous high-profile politically motivated crimes.In 2000, Ivan Lexa fled...
and his deputy Jaroslav Svěchota
Jaroslav Svěchota
Jaroslav Svěchota, plk., JUDr. was the former Deputy Chief of the Slovak Secret Service and lawyer...
).
Description
The areas traditionally under mafia control in Slovakia include the biggest cities (BratislavaBratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
, Banská Bystrica
Banská Bystrica
Banská Bystrica is a key city in central Slovakia located on the Hron River in a long and wide valley encircled by the mountain chains of the Low Tatras, the Veľká Fatra, and the Kremnica Mountains. With 81,281 inhabitants, Banská Bystrica is the sixth most populous municipality in Slovakia...
, Košice
Košice
Košice is a city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary...
) and the southern Slovakia. According to former Chief investigator Jaroslav Ivor, organized crime is more prevalent in areas with good economic background. Southern Slovakia is also close to the Slovak-Hungarian border which provides a safety mechanism. Traditional ties to the community in a given region are also important.
According to an anonymous investigator cited in Pravda (13.07.11, page 4), the political party which gets the Ministry of Interior for the election term gets to give out orders which mafia groups are to be let alone, and which groups will be put under pressure. According to the source it is possible to ascertain in each given time-frame which groups are avoided by the police and which groups are actively targeted by police raids and arrested. Besides the common overlap between policemen and organized crime associates, Slovak media routinely report on higher-ranking police officers having ties to the organized crime.
Mafia list leaks
There have been three distinct mafia lists leaked to the public so far. All of them were authored by the Slovak policeLaw enforcement in Slovakia
Law enforcement in Slovakia is divided among various agencies under the Slovak ministries of Interior, Justice, Traffic, Defense, Finance and local governments within the Republic. The Slovak Secret Service also lists among its tasks those usually reserved for the police force, for example...
.
First mafia list
First mafia list appeared on the internet in 2005. Despite the name, it consists of several lists: first contains names divided into several organized crime groups including dates of birth, addresses, gun license numbers and types of weapons. Second contains the names of "people of interest" including birth numbers , addresses and sometimes with a photograph. Third contains "vehicles of interest" including evidence numbers and the name of the driver or owner. Fourth contains bars or restaurants either owned or frequented by the mafia. It divides the Slovak mafia into the following groups: Takáčovci, Piťovci, Borbélyovci and Jakšíkovci.For a long time, the Slovak police refused to acknowledge its truthfulness and it wasn't until January 2011, that police Chief Jaroslav Spišiak admitted, that the mafia list was his idea to better fight against organized crime. "They were supposed to serve as an aid for patrolling policemen, so that they know who they are dealing with when conducting controls, to anticipate that they are dangerous", said Spišiak at that time.
It has been immediately noted that numerous important figures of the Slovak mafia are missing from the list. Also, there are several mistakes present, such as a member of Takáčovci is listed under Jakšíkovci.
Second mafia list
Leaked to the Slovak media in September 2011, the list was made in March 2010. It contains 10 pages with the names of organized crime groups, names of members, birth numbers and addresses. It divides the Slovak mafia into the following groups: Piťovci, Jakšíkovci, Takáčovci, vlamači, autičkári, defektári.Third mafia list
Third mafia list is the most detailed list so far, containing over 400 names and including also the photographs of all suspected mafia members. The list consists of names, addresses, birth numbers, used weapons, registered vehicles, employment information and telephone contacts. It divides the Slovak mafia into the following groups: bytová mafia, Piťovci, Takáčovci, Sýkorovci, two distinct fractions of Jakšíkovci and group around Ján Z.Third mafia list was leaked by a policewoman working at the Office of combating organized crime (Úrad boja proti organizovanej kriminalite) who downloaded it on her USB flash drive
USB flash drive
A flash drive is a data storage device that consists of flash memory with an integrated Universal Serial Bus interface. flash drives are typically removable and rewritable, and physically much smaller than a floppy disk. Most weigh less than 30 g...
and later into the notebook of another person. She would fail a polygraph test and later confessed to the deed. On October 10, 2011, she was charged with abusing her powers.
Notable groups
- Jakšíkovci - a family named after brothers Ivan and Libor Jakšík, who worked at the police in the 1990s and later owned a chain of bars. Ivan Jakšík had a company (LIKO) with Ivan Pokorný and lawyer Martin Bognár. Bognár was previously accused of creating contracts about protection with security companies attached to the Takáčovci family, an important part of the restaurant and bar racket. Both him and members of the Takáčovci group were released when the prosecutor unexpectedly dismissed the charges. They have legal trouble at this moment as in May 2011 Slovak police arrested 8 members on various charges.
- Piťovci - a family based in LamačLamacLamač is the smallest borough of Bratislava, and part of the Bratislava IV district.The first written record of the German settlement dates to 1240. The German village was destroyed during the first siege of vienna by Turkish troops. Croats fleeing from the Ottomans in the south settled this area...
, BratislavaBratislavaBratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
is named after Juraj Ondrejčák a.k.a Piťo who is still boss. They make extensive use of Mercedes G vehicles. Their roster includes known Slovak businessman Marián Kočner. - Sýkorovci - a family based in BratislavaBratislavaBratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
, named after Miroslav Sýkora. On the first mafia list, the family is named Borbélyovci. In Februrary 2009, the police arrested 10 members of the group, capo Martin B. narrowly escaped. - Takáčovci - a family founded at the beginning of the 1990s by Ján Takáč. As of 2011 their roster includes also the greco-roman wrestling trainer Karol L., former wrestler Mário R., karatist Slávo B., and ice hockey player Richard M.
- bytová mafia
- Ján Z. group
Sources
- Pravda, 13.07.2011, No. 161, page 4, "Analysis: Whom helps the police"