Illicit Fentanyl Crackdown: Dismantled Lab Was Supplying the Entire Country (OVERVIEW)

Anti-organised crime police officers on August 4 dismantled a large-scale, high-tech laboratory producing fentanyl in Sofia's 'Fakulteta' neighbourhood. Three men aged between 42 and 53, all known to the police, were arrested while attempting to flee with nearly 6kg of the deadly drug hidden in a car.

According to investigators, the facility supplied the illicit market across Bulgaria.

• Rumen Radev: The fight against drug production and distribution will remain a priority for the government

The Ministry of the Interior said the operation was unprecedented for the General Directorate for Combating Organised Crime (GDBOP). Officers dismantled what they described as a depot supplying fentanyl to the entire country. There is no evidence that any of the drug produced there was trafficked outside Bulgaria. The daily output was sufficient to produce thousands of doses for the illicit market.

Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev commented on the operation in a Facebook post, saying that further arrests were expected. Prime Minister Rumen Radev, meanwhile, congratulated the Ministry of the Interior on the operation and said that the fight against drug trafficking remained one of the government's priorities. Experts warned of the danger of an epidemic similar to the heroin addiction crisis of the 1990s, while local residents described how cheap and readily available the drug had become.

Anti-mafia investigators began tracking the group back in April, when they intercepted four major fentanyl deals. This led them to an address on the outskirts of the “Fakulteta” neighborhood, where they discovered a state-of-the-art drug lab.

The organised crime group operated under a high degree of secrecy. It was producing up to 10kg of fentanyl a day. Investigators found large quantities of precursor chemicals at the production site, as well as fentanyl of very high purity ready for distribution. Production was carried out there on a daily basis.

Lyubomir Nikolov, Acting Chief Secretary of the Ministry of the Interior: “A drug lab operating at full capacity. It was an unprecedented operation by GDBOP officers. According to the cadastral map we have seen, the owner of the property is Sofia Municipality. There are some documents relating to the premises being rented out, but it is still too early to establish the full picture."

• Between 6 and 10 kg of illicit fentanyl seized during a raid in Sofia; several people have been detained

The lab operated from 5:00 to 7:00 a.m. Afterward, the shipments were transported by car.

Lyubomir Nikolov, Acting Chief Secretary of the Ministry of the Interior: “All the fentanyl distributed throughout Bulgaria originated from this facility. I strongly hope that, if our analysis of the information is correct, there will be a shortage of fentanyl on the market from tomorrow onwards and that everyone addicted to fentanyl will go into abstinence.

Three people were arrested at the scene, including the main “cooks” of the dangerous synthetic opioid.

Lyubomir Nikolov, Acting Chief Secretary of the Ministry of the Interior: “According to our information, one of the individuals involved in production learned how to make fentanyl through online apps.”

Even inhaling fentanyl vapours once or coming into contact with the precursor chemicals can be fatal. This required officers at the scene to wear specialised protective clothing.

Dr Simon Azhderyan, Anaesthetist at the Military Medical Academy:

"It is an opioid that is between 50 and 100 times more potent than morphine. Victims stop breathing and die from respiratory failure."

• Experts: Fentanyl suppresses breathing

The depot is located immediately next to the Fakulteta neighbourhood, which is regarded as one of the main centres for fentanyl distribution. Two weeks ago, local residents told our team that the drug had long flooded the streets and that increasing numbers of young people were falling into the trap of addiction.

A resident of the “Fakulteta” neighborhood: “They’re selling it everywhere up there. It’s been going on for a long time. In this ‘Fakulteta’ neighborhood, drug addiction is a living reality.”

Associate Professor Lyudmila Neykova, Head of the Emergency Toxicology Clinic, Military Medical Academy:

"I wouldn't call it a pandemic, but it is an epidemic among young people. We parents also bear responsibility because we do not engage them in meaningful activities. It makes you feel free from every problem and every pain. That's how you become addicted very quickly. Withdrawal is unbelievably severe. Opioids cause both psychological and physical dependence, and people cannot cope."

The Ministry of the Interior said it had identified every level of the criminal network, from street dealers to the group's leaders. In a Facebook post, Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev said the principal fentanyl producers had been arrested, charges were due to be brought against them, and further arrests were expected.

The fight against drug trafficking will be waged through real action, not words or concepts, Ivan Demerdzhiev said.

According to BNT sources, €300,000 in cash was found at the addresses linked to those arrested.