site.btaSeven Arrested as Organized Crime Directorate Dismantles Migrant Trafficking Network

Seven people have been arrested after officers from the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime (GDCOC) dismantled a criminal group involved in migrant trafficking through Bulgaria, the directorate announced on its official Facebook page on Wednesday. The operation was coordinated by Europol. The migrants were reportedly traveling toward Western and Southern Europe via Bulgaria and Serbia.

The investigation was initiated by GDCOC’s Transborder Organized Crime Department. The operation took place on October 7 in the regions of Sofia, Stara Zagora and Vratsa, with the participation of officers from Greece’s anti-illegal migration service, Romania’s Border Police and Organized Crime Directorate, Moldova’s organized crime service, and Europol.

The action was part of Operational Task Force (OTF) ITER, a regional joint initiative targeting migrant smuggling networks using Bulgaria as a transit route. One of the detainees is believed to hold a high-ranking position in the international trafficking hierarchy.

Charges have been brought against six of the suspects, five Bulgarians and one Syrian citizen, who have been placed under detention. Police searched 11 properties and three vehicles, seizing 13 mobile phones, SIM cards, car rental contracts, promissory notes, other documents related to the criminal activity, and counterfeit EUR 200 banknotes. Ten witnesses have been questioned. The investigation is ongoing.