site.btaSharp Decline in Migrant Crossings into Bulgaria, Border Police Chief Reports

Bulgaria has registered a dramatic drop in attempts at illegal border crossings compared to 2023, the peak year of migrant pressure on the country, Chief Commissioner Anton Zlatanov, head of the General Directorate Border Police (GDGP), announced, quoted by the Interior Ministry's press service here on Sunday.

Between January and August 2023, authorities prevented some 115,000 attempts to enter Bulgaria illegally. For the same period this year, the number has fallen to just 9,700 attempts, Zlatanov said. Nearly all those who managed to enter the country, or who tried to exit through the land borders with Serbia and Romania, were detained.

According to Zlatanov, the decline is due to tighter border security, including improved video surveillance, more patrol vehicles, and closer cooperation with police services in neighboring states. “Another important factor is the strengthened operational work and investigations that prevent traffickers from functioning,” he explained.

Last year alone, the Border Police, working together with the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and the State Agency for National Security, under the supervision of various prosecution offices, have managed to neutralize 15 migrant trafficking networks. Their leaders have already been sentenced.

This crackdown has also had an impact on smugglers’ business models, pushing the cost of their services sharply upward. While prices ranged from EUR 700 to EUR 1,000 in 2023, today they stand between EUR 8,000 and EUR 20,000, depending on the method and conditions of transportation.

“When crossing Bulgaria was easy, the price of the service was much lower,” Zlatanov noted.