The largest operation to date by Bulgaria’s General Directorate for Combating Organised Crime (GDBOP) and the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office against the trafficking of cultural property is currently under way. The operation is supported by Europol and the Italian Carabinieri and is being conducted across eight countries. Several individuals have been detained. In Bulgaria, multiple addresses have been searched and a significant number of artefacts have been seized.
According to Europol, this is the most extensive action ever undertaken by the agency in the field of cultural heritage protection. Alongside the eight participating countries, the operation involved 220 GDBOP officers in Bulgaria alone. Thousands of artefacts have been discovered, including items originating from China and Egypt.
Some of the objects were stolen from museums during the 1990s; others were looted from tombs or taken illegally during excavations. Among those detained abroad are university professors, lecturers and archaeologists. The total value of the recovered artefacts is estimated at around one billion US dollars. The aim is for the items to be returned either to their countries of origin or to their rightful owners.
Boyan Radev, Director of GDBOP:
“On 19 November, a joint international police operation was conducted across eight European countries, one of which is Bulgaria. Its aim was to neutralise and detain individuals linked to an organised criminal group — indeed, a network — operating across Europe and involved in the trafficking of cultural and historical assets, as well as money laundering. More than 220 officers were deployed on the ground, carrying out numerous procedural actions, mainly searches and seizures.”
Angel Kanev, Deputy Sofia City Prosecutor:
“Until yesterday, there were five suspects in the case; as of today, that number is close to twenty and will continue to grow. Most of the accused are Bulgarian citizens, some of whom hold dual nationality. All were initially placed in 24-hour police custody. The the pre-trial detention measures will be mainly a ban on leaving the country and monetary guarantees in a very large amount."
Jens Leidechenar, Europol:
Jens Leidinger, Europol: “This was the largest operation in the field of cultural heritage that we have ever carried out at Europol. Naturally, the next step is to return the artefacts to their countries of origin — first their provenance must be established, and only then can they be sent back.”
In Bulgaria, 32 people have been detained so far, most of them Bulgarian citizens, including some with dual nationality. The operation remains ongoing.
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