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 and Chechen mafia and various Balkan groups controlling much of the heroin trade. The Slovak mafia is especially active in security business, construction and ownership of restaurants and nightclubs. According to the United States Department of Defense "both indigenous and foreign organized crime groups are well established in Slovakia". Under Slovak law, the creation 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 end of communism in 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. History 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 1994-1998 Vladimír Mečiar's government, organized crime became well established in the country and it penetrated the highest political positions. An often cited example is the Slovak Secret Service under Ivan Lexa and his deputy Jaroslav Svěchota. Description The areas traditionally under mafia control in Slovakia include the biggest cities (Bratislava, Banská Bystrica, Košice) and southern Slovakia. According to former Chief investigator Jaroslav Ivor, 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 cited in Pravda (13.07.11, page 4), the political party which gets the Ministry of Interior for the election term gets to give out orders which mafia groups are to be let alone, and which groups will be put under pressure. According to