The police searched eight persons, performed ten house searches and six vehicle searches in cooperation with the General Police Administration and the Kranj police, Jože Senica, the head of the Celje Criminal Police, told the press on Monday.

The investigators found that the main players in the scheme sold between 5g and 200g of cocaine a day, providing the drug to both dealers and consumers in the wider area of Celje.

Five of the suspects are repeat offenders, one has already served a prison sentence abroad for drug trafficking.

The police moreover estimates that the suspects sold up to 1kg of cocaine a month in total. Cocaine is the second most popular drug in the Celje area after marijuana, added Senica.

He said that the group was well organised with clearly defined tasks. They were covering their tracks, making it harder for the police to collect evidence against them. The investigation, which included covert activities, was launched in February 2011.

In the house searches, the police seized around 1kg of cocaine, 50g of amphetamine, 94 ecstasy pills, a considerable amount of money, 99 handgun bullets, a loading device and mobile phones. They also seized precision scales and aluminium foil with traces of drugs.