Zero tolerance for smuggling. Border protection is a matter of national security.
23 people were detained after an operation by the General Directorate of the Border Police, the Bulgarian Border Guard Service, the National Anti-Terrorism Service and the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office, Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev announced on social media.
This is a serious blow against the smuggling industry.
The task of law enforcement agencies is to dismantle entire organized crime groups, not just the lowest-level perpetrators.
A criminal group for migrant trafficking that had been operating on the territory of the country since August 2025 was neutralized during an operation in Sofia, Stara Zagora, Pernik and Aytos, Deputy City Prosecutor Desislava Petrova announced at a briefing. It was also attended by Chief Commissioner Anton Zlatanov - Director of the Directorate General of Border Police, Senior Commissioner Darin Kostov - Deputy Director of the Directorate General of Border Police and Alexander Elenkov - Director of the Directorate "Migration Processes" at the State Security Agency.
The operation was carried out on the morning of June 16, and it was carried out after pre-trial proceedings initiated in November 2025 by the prosecutor's office based on information from the State Agency "National Security". Eight people have been charged, including the leader of the group. Four of them are Syrian citizens with humanitarian status, including the leader. The rest are Bulgarian citizens.
The prosecutor's office will file requests with the court tomorrow for the permanent arrest of the accused.
Anton Zlatanov pointed out that the group is one of the largest to be uncovered in recent years. Searches and seizures were carried out at dozens of addresses, 23 people were detained, some of them witnesses. At one address, 104 gold bars of various weights were found, with a six-figure value, BTA reported.
According to Zlatanov, the group was clearly structured and everyone had a clear role - communication with smugglers from neighboring countries, recruiting drivers and vehicles, and other types of logistics. Unlike other groups that try to transport migrants as quickly as possible, this one brought them to different addresses, where they stayed for several days until the smugglers decided it was appropriate to transport them. They were paid between 5 and 10,000 euros per person for the service.
The director of the “Border Police“ noted that there is a constant regression in illegal migration, with 944 people detained since the beginning of the year, while for the same period in 2023 their number was 3,700. Those not allowed to enter the country in the last six months are 3,600 people, while in 2023 their number was about 56 thousand.
Darin Kostov from the Directorate for the Prevention of Illegal Migration pointed out that the group had been detected before, and that it was characteristic of it in the past years that it also used forceful methods – migrants were held against their will in the vicinity of Sofia, forcing their relatives to pay more and more money.
Some of the members of the group were convicted in the past years and served effective sentences, but they still started their criminal activities.
The representative of the National Security Agency noted that the institutions have been working very well together for several years and the result is a reduction in migrant pressure and neutralization of illegal activity.