site.btaTotal of 851 Detained for Drugs, Illegal Migration Crimes in Bulgaria Last Month

A total of 851 persons were arrested for crimes related to narcotics and illegal migration in May 2025, according to the monthly analysis of data on the work of the specialised inter-agency unit between the prosecution service and the Ministry of Interior. The unit was set up in August 2023 to support the investigation of this type of crime, the prosecuting magistracy said in a press release on Wednesday.

There were 749 arrests for offences related to the production, processing, acquisition, possession and distribution of narcotics. A total of 489 specialised police operations were carried out and 869 pre-trial proceedings were initiated. In May, over 236 kg of marijuana were seized, and 9 laboratories/plants for the production and cultivation of narcotic substances were busted. 

A total of 375 specialised operations were carried out to combat illegal migration, and 56 third-country nationals illegally residing in Bulgaria were arrested. Forty-four pre-trial proceedings for illegal migration were initiated. The number of people detained for illegal border crossing and assisting foreign nationals to stay or cross into/cross the country is 102.

In May, 341 court rulings for drug-related offences and 78 for smuggling across the border and unlawfully assisting foreign nationals to stay in or transit through the country entered into force.