Slovenian police and financial investigators have uncovered the largest illegal cigarette manufacturing operation in the country to date, involving forced labour of foreign nationals in the Lendava area. At a press conference on 19 October 2026, officials said the case is being handled through an extensive criminal investigation led by the National Bureau of Investigation under the direction of the Specialised State Prosecutor's Office. Investigators carried out nine searches of premises and took statements from more than 50 people. Authorities allege the operation included a production line and accommodation for workers inside a large complex. The site had its own electricity supply, generated by two generator sets, and a fuel storage facility was also found. The two suspects and accomplices allegedly recruited and brought foreign workers to the area, then forced them to produce illegal cigarettes. Prosecutors allege at least 33 Paraguayan nationals and one Bulgarian national were exploited by being placed in a position of subordination or dependency, with the workers kept in overcrowded quarters with inadequate ventilation and poor access to light. The foreign nationals were allegedly confined to the premises, not allowed to leave, and had their mobile phones taken. They were allegedly prevented from contacting families and loved ones, with food brought to them and limited sanitary facilities, including insufficient toilets and showers. Investigators said the facility was secured with a double fence, had cameras installed, and workers were forbidden to communicate with lorry drivers or anyone outside the site. Investigators also said the workers were made to work 12 hours a day, organised into rotating six-hour shifts, and that they received no payment. One of the two Slovenian suspects was arrested and brought before an investigating judge at the Murska Sobota District Court. After a hearing, the judge ordered the suspect’s release, while an intensive search continues for the second suspect.