site.btaLarge-Scale Operation Busts Organized Crime Group Involved in Cultural Goods Trafficking

An organized crime group engaged in illegal search, possession, sale and trafficking of cultural goods was neutralized in a large-scale specialized police operation of the State Border Police in the towns of Pazardzhik, Velingrad, Peshtera, and Batak on April 23, the Interior Ministry said in a press release on Friday. Eleven persons were arrested in the course of the operation.

Pre-trial proceedings have been initiated for an offence under Article 321 of the Penal Code.

The operation was carried out after a lengthy investigation and evidence gathering under the supervision of the Pazardzhik District Prosecution Office.

Under conditions of urgency, 13 addresses and 3 vehicles used by the detainees were searched.

Over 1,000 items were found and seized: over 700 antique coins, over 200 items with signs of cultural values (rings, fibulae, jewelry, etc.), over 100 unique church manuscripts and books, as well as nearly 50 metal detectors, scanners and pinpointers of various types. Illegally possessed smooth-bore weapons and ammunition were also found during the investigation.

The work on the case continues, and evidence is being collected for crimes under the Penal Code. Numerous expert examinations have been appointed, the press release said.