site.btaCrime Group Smuggling Migrants Busted during Operation in Four Settlements

A joint operation in Sofia, Stara Zagora, Pernik, and Aytos on Tuesday led to the dismantling of a criminal group involved in migrant smuggling, which had been operating in the country since August 2025, Deputy Prosecutor General Desislava Petrova told a news briefing here on Wednesday. Eight people have been charged, including the group’s leader. Four of them are Syrian citizens with humanitarian status, including the leader. The rest are Bulgarian citizens.

The operation took place on Tuesday morning following a pre-trial investigation initiated by the prosecution service in November 2025 based on information from the State Agency for National Security. On Thursday, the prosecuting magistracy will file motions with the court for the permanent detention of the defendants.

Chief Commissioner Anton Zlatanov, Director of the Border Police Directorate, told the briefing that the group is one of the largest uncovered in recent years. Searches and seizures were carried out at dozens of addresses, and 23 people were detained, some of whom are witnesses. At one address, 104 gold bars of varying weights were discovered, with a value in the six-figure range.

The Border Police Director noted that there has been a steady decline in illegal migration, with 944 people detained since the beginning of the year, compared to 3,700 during the same period of 2023. The number of people denied entry into the country over the past six months is 3,600, compared to around 56,000 in 2023.

Also participating in the briefing were Senior Commissioner Darin Kostov, Deputy Director of the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime (GDCOC), and Alexander Elenkov, Director of the Migration Processes Directorate at the State Agency for National Security.