ILLEGAL SLOVENIAN DISTILLERIES "FORGE" CROATIAN SPIRITS

( Editorial: --> 5338 ) LJUBLJANA, Dec 2 (Hina) - Slovenian police have discovered three illegal alcoholic distilleries in Slovenske Konjice, which "forged" "Vecchia" and "Dalmatinska travarica (Dalmatian herb- flavoured brandy)", spirits produced by Croatia's drinks company "Dalmacijavino". Police from Celje, in northeastern Slovenia, reported on Tuesday that eight people were arrested being involved in the illegal production of the spirits. The police found 2,000 litres of spirits in those distilleries. According to police, a group of illegal producers had sold about 28,000 litres of spirits in Slovenia and Croatia and earned 750,000 German marks. They sold drinks in the bottles with forged labels "Vecchia" and "Dalmatinska travarica", after they mixed different alcoholic drinks with extracts and ethyl alcohol to get booze. There are four women and four men among the arrested. (hina) mš 021505 MET dec 97