Ministry of Interior officer detained for migrant smuggling

Within several hours on January 4 on Trakia motorway, officers from the Directorate and the Zonal Gendarmerie Unit detained two drivers of motor vehicles and a total of 56 illegal migrants. One of the drivers is an employee of the Ministry of Interior.

Around 1:00 a.m., a team of the Traffic Police patrolling the Trakia motorway alerted the operational unit on duty about a suspicious van travelling to Sofia. After an immediate organisation, the vehicle was stopped in the area of 120 km by officers of the Zonal Gendarmerie unit and a group of 25 young men without identity documents was found inside it.

The detainees identified themselves as Afghan nationals. The driver from Harmanli was also arrested. Pre-trial proceedings have been opened in the case.

Shortly after 8:00 a.m., a similar quick coordination and concerted actions between police and gendarmerie officers followed and the movement of another van travelling towards the capital was stopped in the area of km 119.

During the inspection, 31 other migrants, also claiming to be Afghan nationals, were found inside.

The driver, who is a Ministry of Interior official, has been arrested and an investigation case has been opened. Active procedural-investigative actions continue.