site.btaProsecution-Led Operation Uncovers Human Trafficking Route from Bulgaria to Switzerland

Under the supervision of the prosecution, the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime (GDBOP) carried out a specialized police operation as part of an international investigation into human trafficking from Bulgaria to Switzerland, the prosecution service's press centre said on Tuesday.

The operation was conducted in response to a request for legal assistance. It took place in the town of Dolni Dabnik, Pleven Region (Northern Bulgaria), on September 2, 2025. Participating in the action were representatives of the prosecution services and judicial authorities of both countries, investigators from Bulgaria's National Investigation Service, and police officers from the Pleven Regional Directorate of the Interior Ministry. The operation was carried out under the guidance of the International Department of the Supreme Cassation Prosecution Office.

The joint operation is a continuation of an investigation launched in 2022 into an organized criminal group set up for the purpose of labour exploitation - trafficking Bulgarian citizens to Switzerland to engage in begging. Six Bulgarians arrested in Bulgaria and the partner country three years ago were convicted by the Geneva authorities of human trafficking and money laundering. The sentences handed down were up to seven years’ imprisonment.

It was established that the group had transferred dozens of Bulgarians from Roma neighbourhoods in towns in Northern Bulgaria, who were kept in inhumane conditions, while the proceeds of their activities were transferred by the organizers of the channel back to Bulgaria.

During the police operation, following the collection of additional data on the case, three addresses linked to persons connected with the organizers of the group were searched. Items, documents, and information from electronic devices relevant to the proceedings were seized, and witnesses were questioned.