The local farmers came with 1000l+ tanks for diesel, foreigners with multiple gas cans, etc., and the local logistics couldn't handle the pressure.
Did they not have rationing based on odd/even number plates in 1980s?
Foreigners were coming to Slovenia just to buy gas? In such quantities that it strained infrastructure?
That definitely sounds like something that happened.
As if "multiple gas cans" wouldn't still be well under the 50 liter/day limit.
Could also be that they didn't have sufficient reserve and would rather blame hijackers?