Four European citizens have been detained on suspicion of helping illegal migrants cross the Bulgarian-Turkish border illegally, the Ministry of Interior said on February 10.
On February 6th, around 7:00 PM, a report was received about the movement of a passenger car near the border zone with no clear destination. The vehicle was intercepted several times and was checked by border police, along with Frontex officers, in the area of the village of Vizitsa, four hours later.
Upon checking the car, four individuals were found – European citizens, two from Italy, one from Spain, and one from Lithuania. They stated that they had a reservation for accommodation in a hotel in Malko Tarnovo but did not know the name of the hotel. Around midnight, after the checks were carried out, the four were asked to leave the area, where a police operation was underway. However, they insisted that they would travel to Malko Tarnovo. After continuing to roam the border zone, they were stopped again and claimed they would check into a hotel, though they couldn’t recall its name.
The Ministry of the Interior clarified that, at that moment, no reports of distressed individuals had been received from the area.
At around 5:30 AM on February 7th, the vehicle with the European citizens stopped in the area of the "Kubarelova Watermill" site. A woman got ou of the car and began walking around the road, giving the impression she was searching for something or someone. At that moment, a group of men emerged from the forest nearby. Upon checking, the border police found that these were illegal migrants. At the same time, as the European citizens saw the police patrol, an English-speaking man called the emergency number 112. He reported that he was on the road between the villages of Brashlyan and Zvezdets, where he had encountered a group of migrants—around 10 individuals—exhausted and in need of help.
At the scene, 11 illegal migrants and the four European citizens, who claimed to be volunteers from an NGO, were detained. All were taken to the Border Police Station in Malko Tarnovo. After a conversation with a licensed translator, the eleven individuals claimed they were from Morocco. The District Prosecutor's Office in Malko Tarnovo was notified. A formal report was filed against the European citizens, and a fast-track case was initiated against the Moroccan nationals.
According to the results of medical examinations, all individuals were clinically healthy. They were housed in the facility of the Border Police in Malko Tarnovo. At 4:30 PM, by order of the district prosecutor, the European citizens were released.
During the investigation, the migrants stated that they had paid 150 euros each to a Turkish smuggler to be taken to a temporary obstacle facility. The smuggler provided them with coordinates of where they were supposed to go to receive logistical assistance. The illegal migrants said that upon reaching the designated location near the asphalt road, they saw police vehicles. When asked why they hadn’t approached the vehicles for help, they explained that according to the instructions given by the Turkish smuggler, they were to be called and found by the next set of smugglers.
The European citizens refused to provide any further information. The Moroccan nationals were handed over and placed in the Specialised Temporary Accommodation Centre for Foreigners in Lyubimets. According to the Border Police, in recent months, foreign nationals posing as volunteers have been detained in over five similar cases under similar circumstances.
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