The Sofia City Prosecutor's Office is bringing to court four police officers who misled a driver in the capital into thinking he had tested positive for drugs. The uniformed officers took the sum of 409 euros to cover up the non-existent violation.
The Night Check
In the early hours of February 2, 2024, between 00:55 and 02:00, the patrol stopped a car at the intersection of “Slatinska“ Street and “Boyan Magesnik“ Street in Sofia. According to the indictment, instead of conducting a routine check, the uniformed officers acted in collusion and devised a plan to extort. They lied to the driver that the field drug test had detected the presence of prohibited substances.
The money scheme
To make the deception complete, the police officers suggested to the man behind the wheel that if he paid a certain amount, they would turn a blind eye and not take the legal action resulting from the positive test. Pressured by the situation, the driver handed over 409 euros (800 leva) to the inspectors. By law, the act qualifies as fraud with complicity, for which the prosecutor's office has brought official charges against them.
Secret arsenal
The problems with justice for one of the law enforcement officers turn out to be even more serious. The investigation found that he had not taken the necessary security measures when storing the firearms and ammunition assigned to him. He was additionally charged with illegal possession of a total of 161 cartridges, for which he did not have the proper permit.
The case is being heard by the Sofia District Court, where a preliminary hearing for the start of the trial is scheduled.