Bulgarian police break up migrant smuggling network

Illegal migrants from Syria, Iraq and Iran have been discovered in Sofia, and ten members of an organised criminal group have been arrested, Deputy City Prosecutor Desislava Petrova told reporters.

Two of those arrested have been charged as the leaders of the network. The arrests followed a specialised operation by the Ministry of Interior aimed at combating illegal migration, carried out on 23 November.

The group, which has been active since 2022, was established to facilitate the trafficking of migrants. Crossings of the Bulgarian-Turkish border were organised either over the fence or hidden in lorries and minibuses. The migrants’ primary destination was Germany, with Italy and France also targeted.

The network was led by other nationals, while Bulgarians were involved only in assisting with transport and logistics. Traffickers reportedly charged between €4,000 and €15,000 per person, depending on the method of crossing the border.

Editor: Miglena Ivanova

Posted in English by E. Radkova