42 Illegal Migrants Detained by Bulgarian and Romanian Police Officers at Vidin-Calafat Crossing

On 31 March, a joint team of Bulgarian and Romanian border police stopped a minibus driven by a Romanian national at the Vidin–Calafat crossing. A total of 21 foreign nationals were found and detained in the vehicle – 11 from Iraq, two from Iran, four from Afghanistan and four from Syria, the Border Police press office said on April 1.

Officers established that 14 of the migrants were registered as asylum seekers in Bulgaria. A case file for illegal border crossing has been opened at the Border Police Unit in Vidin. The driver and the vehicle have been detained by the Romanian authorities.

On 30 March, again at the Vidin–Calafat crossing, a joint team inspected a грузинска-registered lorry exiting Bulgaria, driven by two Turkish nationals. The vehicle was transporting two light commercial vehicles.

A total of 21 irregular migrants were discovered in their cargo compartments, all men without identity documents. Eighteen stated they were from Iraq and three from Iran. The migrants and the drivers have been detained. Work on the cases is ongoing.