site.btaPolice Crack Down on Group Allegedly Linked to BGN 30-Mln Treasure Losses

An operation conducted by the General Directorate for Combating Organised Crime (GDCOC) and the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office (SCPO) neutralized a group that is believed to have caused losses to the State treasury of over BGN 30 million, Sofia's Deputy Prosecutor Desislava Petrova reported here on Thursday at a press conference. She was joined by GDCOC Deputy Director Yordan Peshev.

The operation was carried out in Sofia and other places in the country on Tuesday. It involved 60 investigating police officers as well as employees of the National Revenue Agency. Over 100 investigative actions and 90 searches and seizures resulted in numerous pieces of evidence, including leva and euro worth over BGN 300,000.

Eight people have been charged with participating in a criminal group for tax crimes and money laundering. Permanent detention will be requested for five of them, two were wanted, and one is on bail due to poor health. There are also foreign citizens among those detained.

The group's activities have been under investigation since 2023. According to the gathered information, the group controlled a channel for the supply of Chinese goods to the Bulgarian market. The goods, which included clothing, bags, shoes, household goods, and more, were sourced through direct negotiations with Chinese manufacturers and delivered by ship to Greece. Trucks would then transport them to Bulgaria. In order to avoid paying the applicable customs duties and VAT, the import of these goods was documented through controlled companies using false and inaccurate documents, Petrova said.