An international organized criminal group was neutralized during a large-scale investigation operation of the GDBOP against a migrant trafficking channel through Bulgaria.
The large-scale specialized police operation to cross a smuggling channel for migrants through the so-called “Western Balkan route“ (Turkey via Bulgaria, Serbia and Romania for Western Europe) was held on August 19 this year. on the territory of Plovdiv region.
The operation led by the Main Directorate “Fighting Organized Crime” (GDBOP), was implemented in close coordination and with the participation of employees from the Main Directorate “Border Police” and State Agency “National Security” (DANS), under the supervision of the District Prosecutor's Office - Plovdiv. The teams included the General Directorate of Gendarmerie and Special Operations and Combating Terrorism. (GJSOBT) and Main Directorate "National Police" (GDP). The actions of the Bulgarian services were supported by representatives of EUROPOL posted in Bulgaria, the operation also included employees of the border police and the directorates for fighting organized crime of the Republic of Romania and the Republic of Moldova.
During the joint actions of the security services, a large-scale organized international group composed of Syrian, Jordanian, Bulgarian and Moldovan citizens was neutralized.
According to the data, the Bulgarian participant in the criminal scheme was mainly responsible for providing cars, registering persons with low social status, as well as controlling them during transportation. The group recruited drivers from the Republic of Moldova through various internet platforms and ensured their travel through Romania to Bulgaria. In the course of the joint actions, it was established that after the illegal migrants entered the territory of our country from certain locations, they were “taken” and transported by cars driven by Moldovan citizens. For communication between individual members, the well-organized group used mobile applications.
A total of 8 persons were detained during the operation. 7 of them, including the leaders of the criminal group, have been charged. A total of 15 searches of addresses and searches were carried out, as well as searches of 5 cars. 6 bank cards, 1.5 g of cocaine, an illegal gun and ammunition for it, numerous documents for money transfers, as well as for motor vehicles, car keys, 16 mobile electronic devices – phones, tablets and laptops, 4 GPS trackers, different types of ID.
Since the beginning of April this year, 17 cases of detention related to the group from the city of Plovdiv have been established, in which more than 130 illegal migrants have been identified. Over 20 drivers were arrested during the operations - mainly Moldovan citizens and individual cases of citizens of Syria and Serbia. The identified cars have Bulgarian registration, mostly with temporary transit numbers.
Since its launch, the GDBOP investigation has been supported by EUROPOL and the partner offices of Romania and Moldova and by the project "Improving cross-border cooperation in the fight against organized crime" within the framework of the Federal Budget 2021-2027.