NNI, in close cooperation with NAKA and Europol, started investigating the historical data of the weapons. – Starting on the path of the arms-buying Strómans, the investigators revealed that in three years – that is, between 2014 and 2016 – a total of nearly 600 ineffective or small-caliber weapons were registered in the names of the four Slovak men. After collecting all the evidence against them, an international operation was organized to capture them. Since one of them had been serving his legally binding prison sentence for three years (since 2016) in the Zzelizi penitentiary for another case, the police beat up his three companions on April 19 last year. Members of the Slovak standby commando also took part in the capture. Research was held in Nagyszomba, Nyitrabánya and Rózsahegy – said Dr. Péter Takács, Chief Prosecutor of the Győr-Moson-Sopron County Prosecutor’s Office. He then added that this is not the first successful cooperation with the prosecution and investigative authorities.
The secret path of Slovak weapons
-It turned out that the once deactivated military weapons were bought in Slovakia before conversion, and then only their names were added to the business in exchange for a minimal consideration. They were named in the documentation, but they were no longer the real owners of the weapons – Máté Csupor added.
After the summer raid in Rajka, a weapons warehouse was liquidated again. The location this time was the Tatras. A suspect in custody, a dozen confiscated weapons, nearly 70 weapon parts and several grenades – this is the balance of the joint operation.
AD day
The highlight of the action was the capture of Jan H. last April. The 47-year-old man lived in a two-story building in Rózsahegy that functioned as a lathe workshop, part of which he converted into a residence. Together with his companions, the man stored the ineffective weapons here, then transformed them into live firearms and made various silencers for them. In the workshop, 14 weapons, 2,000 different calibers of ammunition, nearly 70 magazines for pistols and machine guns, 7 grenades and 29 self-produced silencers were seized.
Jan H. was taken into custody in Slovakia, while two of his companions are free to defend themselves.
The second operation of the Slovak-Hungarian joint investigation team took place on September 28 last year. Two more Slovak men were arrested by the police. One in Rajka, the other in Bratislava. The weapons found on them were also confiscated. In addition to the ammunition, cocaine and MDMA were also found in the apartment in Rajka.
Thanks to the JIT, it was possible to initiate proceedings against three suspects in Hungary and four in Slovakia, thus dealing a major blow to the illegal international arms trade.
Further investigation into modified weapons
The NNI’s Győr unit has not yet definitively completed the case and the investigation into the weapons by investigating the arrested persons. – Our aim is to map the fate of the 600 weapons belonging to the criminal gang. So we sent the serial numbers of the weapons to both their European and transatlantic partners. With the help of Europol, ATF (Office for Trafficking in Alcohol and Tobacco Products and Firearms), and Interpol, we have already managed to find out that the weapons have reached many parts of the world. Two weapons related to the case were found in Sweden, one in Spain, and three in South Africa. All of these can be linked to a crime – explained Máté Ccupor.
So, thanks to the joint actions that lasted two or three years, 100 weapons have already been found, but they are looking for another 500.
Chief Prosecutor Dr. Péter Takács added that they will be charged with misusing firearms, ammunition and explosives, endangering a minor, for which up to 12 years in prison can be imposed on the Slovak couple and their companions.
