The Bulgarian authorities, supported by Europol, neutralized the activities of a criminal network for migrant trafficking through Bulgaria and Serbia to Western Southern Europe.
The work on the case was initiated by the "Cross-Border Organized Crime" department of the Directorate General of Internal Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
It was carried out on the territory of the districts of Sofia, Stara Zagora, and Vratsa on October 7, 2025.
The action involves police officers from the Greek Service for Combating Illegal Migration, the Romanian Border Police and Combating Organized Crime, the Service for Combating Organized Crime of the Republic of Moldova and Europol.
The operation on illegal migration was carried out within the framework of a regional operational task force established to investigate migrant smuggling networks using Bulgaria as a transit country.
During it, 7 traffickers were arrested, one of whom was at a high level in the hierarchy of international trafficking.
Six Bulgarians and one Syrian citizen were detained.
The investigation and police actions are led by a supervising prosecutor from the District Prosecutor's Office - Ruse pre-trial proceedings initiated in 2024 for crimes committed under Art. 280 and Art. 281 in connection with Art. 321 of the Criminal Code.
Six of the detainees - five Bulgarians and the Syrian citizen - have been charged and taken into pre-trial detention.
During the investigation, 11 properties and 3 cars were searched.
13 mobile phones, SIM cards, car rental contracts, promissory notes and other documents related to the criminal activity were seized, as well as counterfeit banknotes with a face value of 200 euros.
10 people have been questioned as witnesses so far.
The work on the case continues.