site.bta7,450 Drug-Related Crimes Registered in January-November

Between January and November, a total of 7,450 drug-related crimes were registered, according to data from the Ministry of the Interior. Two of the main work areas of the Ministry of the Interior throughout the country in 2025 were counteracting the distribution, production, and trafficking of drugs, as well as the production and circulation of counterfeit money. Numerous operations were carried out in Sofia and across the country, jointly with the prosecution, to combat this type of crime.

Drugs

According to the crime bulletins published by the Ministry of the Interior, 7,450 drug-related crimes were registered from January to November. The highest number was recorded in March -773 cases. The clearance rate for these crimes averaged around 50%.

The fight against fentanyl was in the focus of public and media attention. In June, more than two kilograms of fentanyl were discovered and seized during two consecutive operations by officers of the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime. One took place in Targovishte, where 1,040 grams of fentanyl prepared for street distribution were found. The other was conducted in Montana, where a total of 1,141 grams of fentanyl were seized from a man’s home. At the time, law enforcement authorities noted that fentanyl is offered as a cheaper and more potent substitute for heroin, but with a significantly higher mortality rate. A specialized unit was established within the GDCOC to prioritize countering the distribution of fentanyl in the country.

In September, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) implemented cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior to improve Bulgaria’s capacity to detect and neutralize the trafficking of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. Over the course of two days, DEA senior forensic chemist Jonathan Duffy trained expert chemists from the Ministry of the Interior and the Customs Agency on how to use fast, reliable, and safe methods for testing fentanyl.

On September 29, in the area of the Boyana neighborhood, police officers found two packages containing a brown substance and a mobile phone during a traffic stop of a passenger car. An expert examination determined that the seized drug was fentanyl with a total weight of over one kilogram. The driver of the vehicle was detained.

During the year, certain quantities of fentanyl were discovered during police operations in various cities across the country, including Sofia, Plovdiv, and Ruse. In one case in Plovdiv, a drug dealer was arrested carrying 300 doses of fentanyl, equivalent to 48 grams of the substance. In Sofia, in August, in less than a week, police actions led to the discovery and seizure of 2.5 kg of fentanyl, 1,025 pellets of the same drug, more than 123 grams of cocaine, about 300 grams of marijuana, as well as various amounts of money. Eight people were arrested.

Throughout the entire year, the Ministry of the Interior reported on its specialized operations and actions that led to the seizure of cocaine, marijuana, and other narcotic substances. Through these efforts, the illegal activities of farms and laboratories used for drug production were also shut down. A key focus of police work nationwide was counteracting the distribution of drugs near schools and in nightlife venues.

In 2025, the largest quantity of cocaine ever seized at Bulgaria’s land borders was intercepted. On July 20, nearly 206 kg of the high-risk drug were discovered at the Kapitan Andreevo border crossing, hidden in five suitcases, as a result of Operation Orient Express.

At the end of the year, during the Police Officer of the Year ceremony, a collective award was presented to the Drugs Department of the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime, which carried out 26 operations related to trafficking and production and distribution of narcotic substances. The Ministry of the Interior reported that, in the course of police operations in Bulgaria, in EU member states, and in third countries, nearly 450 kg of cocaine were found and seized; almost 3 tons of marijuana; more than 27 kg of synthetic cannabinoids, 250,000 tablets containing pseudoephedrine, and large quantities of amphetamine and 50 kilograms of precursors.

According to the latest data from the Specialized Interagency Unit of the Prosecutor’s Office and the Ministry of the Interior supporting investigations into drug-related crimes, 1,055 pre-trial proceedings were initiated in November alone for the production, processing, acquisition, possession, and distribution of narcotic substances. This represents an increase of 59 cases compared to October 2025.

In November this year, 656 specialized police operations were carried out and 1,103 individuals were detained for drug-related crimes. Six laboratories and farms for the production and cultivation of narcotic substances were uncovered. The largest quantity seized was over 248 kg of marijuana. A significant quantity of precursors was also confiscated, and 124 electronic smoking devices containing narcotic substances were seized.

Counterfeit money

Another key focus of the Ministry of the Interior’s work in 2025 was combating the production and distribution of counterfeit currency. During an operation by the Counterfeiting Unit of the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime on February 20, a workshop for producing counterfeit currency was uncovered in Sofia District. Counterfeit banknotes with denominations of BGN 20, 50, and 100 were produced there.

In October, officers from the Economic Department of the Sofia Police Directorate discovered and seized counterfeit banknotes worth over BGN 2,600 leva and approximately EUR 40,000. In another operation in August, police officers found and seized from three individuals a total of 50 banknotes of EUR 200 each, with a total value of EUR 10,000. At the time, the head of the Sofia Police Directorate said that the operation was of interest to other partner services as well, as it is believed that the “money” was printed outside the country.

A crime group was arrested in July during an operation by the Plovdiv Regional Directorate of the Ministry of the Interior and the District Prosecutor’s Office. According to investigators, since the end of last year the group had been distributing counterfeit currency in exchange offices and gambling venues in Plovdiv and the region - approximately EUR 2,000 and USD 16,900. Eight people were arrested during the operation.

In another operation carried out by the Sofia Police Directorate on December 18, more than EUR 10,000 counterfeit banknotes were seized. Three people were detained. At that time, the Ministry of the Interior reported that there was no information indicating that the counterfeit banknotes had been put into circulation within the country.

In December, the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime organized an international coordination meeting in Sofia focusing on countering currency counterfeiting in Southeast Europe. The aim of the event was to encourage partner cooperation at all levels among police structures in the region and with third countries involved in the fight against currency counterfeiting. Participants included representatives from neighboring countries, Balkan states, and long-standing members of the European Union that have successfully adopted the euro - Romania, Greece, Turkiye, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Croatia, Austria, Italy, Germany, and Poland. The conference was also attended by experts from the United States, Europol, the European Commission, and the European Central Bank. The meeting discussed trends and threats to national security arising from this type of illegal activity, as well as potential risks related to the country’s accession to the eurozone starting in January next year.

The Ministry of the Interior has issued recommendations to citizens in connection with the official introduction of the euro as legal tender on January 1, 2026.

Citizens are advised to use only official exchange locations - banks or post offices - where currency exchange will be free of charge during the first six months. During this period, post office branches will be regularly patrolled by uniformed police officers. Teams from the Security Police of the Sofia Directorate and the regional directorates of the Ministry of the Interior will be supported by the gendarmerie to maintain public order around post offices across the country, the ministry said.