Major operation disrupts migrant smuggling rings

Large-scale joint operation against the smuggling of illegal migrants, codenamed "Hawala", was conducted by the Ministry of Interior and Prosecutor’s office across the country on January 16, 2023. 'Hawala' is a semi-legal money transfer method used in payment for organising human trafficking.

Three people have been detained so far. There is operational information that they were arranging the illegal crossing of the Turkish-Bulgarian border.

Drivers of the vehicles used to transport the migrants to the interior of the country have also been arrested. Migrants residing illegally in the country have been detected.

Large groups organising human trafficking have been disrupted. One suspect, a Syrian citizen with humanitarian status to stay in Bulgaria, was detained in Zone B-5 residential district in Sofia. He has been living in a rented apartment in the area for three months with his family.

It is noteworthy that some of the locations checked in Sofia are concentrated precisely in Zona B-5 and in “Serdika” residential areas. The others are in the towns of Dragoman, Bolyarovo, Svilengrad and Harmanli.

According to operational information, the traffickers were transporting migrants from Turkey via Bulgaria, Serbia and Romania to the countries of Central and Western Europe.

Initially, the authorities refused information on the case, but later both the Minister of Interior and the Prosecutor General made statements:

“Serious groups involved in migrant smuggling have been disrupted, and the operation will continue not only today. It will continue not only on the territory of Bulgaria, it will also be carried over to the territory of Turkey, and there is an assurance of this from the Turkish side and the results will eventually be made public. We believe that this is part of the way to permanently resolve the problem of illegal migration, and I even discussed this with my Greek counterpart today, that similar actions will be planned and carried out, including on the territory of Bulgaria and Greece, because cross-border crime can only be responded to successfully in one way - with cooperation. I take this opportunity once again to thank both him personally and their Prime Minister Mitsotakis for the commitment, for the clear and personal support, which will contribute not only to solving the issue of Bulgaria's Schengen membership, but also to increasing security in the region and within the EU," said the caretaker Minister of the Interior Ivan Demerdzhiev.

The Prosecutor General commented on Twitter:

"I thank my fellow prosecutors and investigators from all over the country, as well as the leadership of the Ministry of Interior and the hundreds of police officers, for the good organisation and professional interaction. Only joint work and partnership can protect the people and the interests of Bulgaria," Bulgaria’s chief prosecutor, Ivan Geshev wrote.

Last week, Geshev was in Ankara for a meeting with his Turkish counterpart, and over the past month there have been a number of consultations between Minister Interior Ivan Demerdzhiev and his Turkish counterpart on countering illegal migration.

The operation will continue in the country and on the territory of Turkey.

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