The Slovak mafia () constitutes various organized crime groups in Slovakia, controlled primarily by Slovak interests. The Slovak mafia does not have significant international presence and even in Slovakia, their activities are limited by boundaries set by the powerful Russian mafia, Ukrainian mafia, Chechen mafia, and various Balkan groups controlling much of the heroin trade.
The Slovak mafia is traditionally especially active in security business, construction, and ownership of restaurants and nightclubs. According to the United States Department of State, "Both indigenous and foreign organized crime groups are well established in Slovakia". Under Slovak law, the creation, membership, activity, 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 revolutions of 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, families and "special interest groups" 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.
Today, the Slovak mafia as it existed in is said to be gone. There are, however, many, mainly "under-the-radar", drug gangs or criminal networks that participate mainly in the illegal drug trade and other related activities, such as money laundering. These groups may or may not include smaller and/or less known, perhaps unknown and/or unnamed organizations. Some groups may also not meet the definition of a mafia-style group, and can therefore be referred to as criminal networks, or loose networks of associates engaging in criminal activity who fail to meet the defining characteristics of mafia-style groups, while still being a part of organized crime. Different forms of the mafia are also speculated to exist.
In 1989, Czechoslovakia overthrew communism, and in 1993 the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic separated. In the first half of the 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 the first post-communist gangsters emerged. At the time of the 1994âÂÂ1998 VladimÃÂr MeÃÂiar's government, organized crime became well established in the country and it penetrated the highest political positions. An often cited example is the Slovak Information Service, or SIS () under Ivan Lexa and his deputy Jaroslav SvÃÂchota.
The areas traditionally under mafia control in Slovakia include the largest cities (e.g., Bratislava, Banská Bystrica, Koà ¡ice) and southern Slovakia(Dunajská Streda). According to former Chief investigator , 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, the political party which gets the Ministry of Interior () for the election term gets to give out orders which mafia groups are to be left 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 arrests. Besides the common overlap between policemen and organized crime associates, Slovak media routinely report on higher-ranking police officers having ties to organized crime.
There have been three distinct mafia lists leaked to the public so far. All of them were authored by the Slovak police.
The first mafia list appeared on the internet in 2005. Despite the name, it consists of several lists: the first contains names divided into several organized crime groups including dates of birth, addresses, gun license numbers and types of weapons. The second contains the names of "people of interest" including birth numbers (), addresses and sometimes a photograph. The third contains "vehicles of interest" including evidence numbers and the name of the driver or owner. The fourth contains bars or restaurants either owned or frequented by the mafia. It divides the Slovak mafia into the following groups: TakáÃÂovci, Pià ¥ovci, Borbélyovci and Jakà ¡ÃÂkovci.
For a long time, the Slovak police did not acknowledge its veracity and it was not until January 2011 that police Chief Jaroslav Spià ¡iak 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 Spià ¡iak at that time.
Slovak broadsheet SME immediately stated that that numerous important figures of the Slovak mafia are missing from the list. Also, the paper said there are several mistakes present, such as a member of the TakáÃÂovci group being listed under Jakà ¡ÃÂkovci instead.
The second mafia list, made in March 2010, was leaked to the Slovak media in September 2011. 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: Pià ¥ovci, Jakà ¡ÃÂkovci, TakáÃÂovci, vlamaÃÂi, autiÃÂkári, and defektári.
The 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, Pià ¥ovci, TakáÃÂovci, Sýkorovci, two distinct fractions of Jakà ¡ÃÂkovci and the group around Ján Z.
The list was leaked by a policewoman working at the Office of Combating Organized Crime () 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 10 October 2011, she was charged with abusing her powers.
Other groups may or may not include smaller and/or less known, perhaps unknown and/or unnamed organizations. Some groups may not meet the definition of a mafia-style group, and can therefore be referred to as criminal networks, or loose networks of associates engaging in criminal activity who fail to meet the defining characteristics of mafia-style groups.
After the deaths and arrests of many mob bosses in Slovakia, today it is said the Slovak mafia as it existed in the 1990s is gone. Most members of these mafia groups either were killed, are in prison, or ran away. It is said to mostly end in the early 2010s. However, the murder of Ján Kuciak, an investigative journalist, raised questions amongst the general public if the mafia is still alive, since murders of investigative journalists are uncommon in Slovakia.
Although the mafia as it existed in the 1990s is said to be gone, there are speculations that it still might exist in different forms. Many people claim that there are trucks going through villages that carry immigrants, as well as that there are groups that give jobs to illegal immigrants.
Amongst these speculations, there are different speculations and theories. The black market, however, mainly the illegal drug trade, is widespread in Slovakia. There are many, mainly "under-the-radar", drug gangs or criminal networks that participate in the illegal drug trade, money laundering, etc. Intermittently, some of these groups are caught by authorities and sometimes publicised.