At today's press conference held at the Piran police station, the representatives of the Slovenian and Italian police and of the prosecutor's office presented a successful investigation concerning the robbery of the petrol station in Škofije, and excellent cooperation between the Slovenian and the Italian police.
The participants of the conference were as follows: dr. Leonardo Boido, dr. Claudio Culot and dott. ssa. Maddalena Chergia, representatives of the Italian law enforcement agencies and prosecutor's office, Slavko Ožbolt, Head of the Office of the District State Prosecutor of Koper, Dean Jurič, Assistant Head of the Criminal Police Division of the Regional Police Directorate of Koper, Nevij Božič, Head of General Crime Section, Criminal Police Division of the Regional Police Directorate of Koper, and Dušan Kerin, Head of the International Police Cooperation Division, Criminal Police Directorate of the General Police Directorate.
According to the representatives of the Slovenian police, the police were informed of the robbery of the petrol station in Spodnje Škofije located along the border crossing point on 8 January 2008 at 20.20. Unknown perpetrators were waiting in ambush for the petrol station attendant leaving the premises; they were carrying a gun and wearing helmets. They pushed the attendant violently back into the premises and demanded he hand over the key of the cash box to them. The cash box contained the day's takings. One of the perpetrators hit the attendant on the head with the gun several times so that he began to bleed badly. The perpetrators also put a plastic bag on his head. They demanded him in Italian to hand over cash to them. The scared attendant then made the money in the cash box available to the perpetrators. Having stolen about 8,500 euros, the unknown perpetrators locked the attendant in the toilet and left the scene.
By means of the inspection of the crime scene, gathering of information and analysis of recordings of surveillance video cameras, the criminal investigators of the Koper Police Directorate established that the perpetrators had used a small black passenger car for arriving at and leaving the crime scene.
All police patrols in the territory of the Koper Police Directorate were informed of the robbery immediately after it; the information was also passed on to the Italian law enforcement agencies. The Slovenian police contacted them immediately and started exchanging data on persons and vehicles. The Italian unit Questura di Trieste - Squadra Mobile reported that some persons involved in illicit drug trafficking were being under investigation there. The Italian unit discovered some clues and information implying that those persons could also be involved in the robbery of the petrol station.
Through further joint investigation and the use of covert investigation measures in Italy, it was established that one of the suspects had been in Slovenia on 11 January. Pursuant to an authorisation by the Office of the District State Prosecutor of Koper, the criminal investigators of the Koper Police Directorate started carrying out covert investigation measures for the suspect. They established that the suspect had purchased illicit drugs from an Izola man and consumed them. The 31-year old citizen of Italy (originating from Trieste) was apprehended before returning to Italy. Further investigation revealed that this person together with another 39-year old citizen of Italy (also from Trieste) committed a criminal offence of robbery of the petrol station in Škofije. Criminal investigators apprehended the other suspect the same day.
Several house searches were conducted during the harmonised parallel implementation of covert investigation measures in Slovenia and Italy. In Slovenia, two places were discovered where the suspects had hidden the objects used for the robbery. Thus, the gun, the cap, the clothes and the helmet used for the robbery were found in Jagodje near Izola.
By means of a crime report referring to a founded suspicion of the perpetration of the criminal offence of robbery under Article 213/III of the Penal Code of the Republic of Slovenia, on 13 January 2008 the criminal investigators of the Koper Police Directorate handed over the two suspects to the investigating judge who ordered provisional custody for both of them on the proposal from the Office of the District State Prosecutor of Koper.
The investigation of the criminal offence also showed that a 21-year old Izola man had sold cocaine and heroin in the total amount of at least 3,500 euros to both aforementioned citizens of Italy for a longer period of time and at different places in Izola. It was established that a 20-year old Izola man enabled the 31-year old Italian to consume heroin intravenously. Both of them were apprehended and some house searches were carried out. On the basis of the evidence gathered, crime reports were lodged for the founded suspicion of the perpetration of the criminal offences of unlawful manufacture and trade of narcotic drugs and of enabling opportunity for consumption of narcotic drugs against the 21-year old man and the 20-year old man respectively.
The successful investigation of the robbery was the result of hard and persistent work of criminal investigators, as well as of effective longstanding cooperation with the Italian law enforcement authorities.