site.btaTrial Opens in Sofia over Deaths of 18 Afghans

Sofia City Court said Monday that a trial will commence against an organized crime group in connection with the deaths of 18 Afghans discovered in a truck near Lokorsko.

The preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 2. Sofia City Prosecution Office has indicted five people for involvement in an organized criminal group, migrant smuggling and the murder of 18 Afghan citizens. Prosecutors allege that Viktor Kuzmanov acted as an accomplice in the smuggling operation and led the group, which also included Hristian Dungarov, Atanas Atanasov, Valentin Hristov and Petar Yanev. Truck owner Tacho Tachev was likewise identified as a member, but proceedings against him were discontinued after his death in June 2023.

On February 17, 2023, the bodies of 18 Afghan nationals were found in a concealed compartment under a timber load in a lorry abandoned near the village of Lokorsko, 16 km north of Sofia. The victims had apparently suffocated. More than 50 people had travelled in the vehicle; the survivors were found dehydrated, cold and wet and were taken to hospital.