34 ILLEGAL MIGRANTS DETAINED DURING A JOINT OPERATION OF BULGARIA’S MINISTRY OF INTERIOR, SANS AND PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE

34 illegal migrants were detained for 24 hours during a joint operation of Bulgaria’s Ministry of Interior (MoI), State Agency for National Security (SANS) and the Public Prosecutor’s Office on 13th of May. The operation was carried out across the country and the aim was to detain foreign nationals and human traffickers who reside in the country illegally.

The operation started at 6.00 a.m. in the morning in the capital Sofia, major cities across the country and the towns of Elhovo and Dragoman. Some 600 sites and 4,000 people were checked. The authorities identified 55 illegally residing foreign nationals, including 7 children and 7 alleged human traffickers. A total of 34 people were arrested for 24 hours and one pre-court procedure was initiated.

25 of the illegal migrants were detained in an abandoned villa near the village of Aichar in the region of Vidin, Northern Bulgaria. They said they were from Afghanistan and Pakistan. The detained were guarded by a 35-year-old man, with previous criminal record, who promised them to get them across the Bulgarian-Serbian border undetected.

1,400 officers from Bulgaria’s MoI and SANS took part in the large-scale operation.