Number of detained irregular migrants and human trafficking proceedings increased in April

An increase in the number of detained illegally residing third-country nationals and in pre-trial proceedings for human trafficking has been reported, according to data from the Interdepartmental Specialised Unit of the Prosecutor’s Office and the Ministry of the Interior for the period 1–30 April 2026, the Prosecutor’s Office press centre announced.

Regarding offences related to the production, processing, acquisition, possession, distribution and trafficking of narcotic substances, 905 individuals were detained in April 2026, 783 pre-trial proceedings were initiated, and 31 laboratories/areas for drug production and cultivation were uncovered.

Among the more significant cases was a specialised police operation conducted on 14–15 April 2026, during which 14 individuals were detained in the area of the village of Yana, Sofia Region, while loading a vehicle with Turkish registration plates. Subsequently, four more individuals were identified in the capital. Six suspects have been charged – four Syrian and two Turkish nationals.

On 18 April 2026, during an inspection in Elhovo, two employees of the Elhovo Border Police Unit were detained after transporting 11 individuals without identity documents in an official vehicle; according to their statements, the individuals were Iraqi citizens.

At the end of April, two individuals were detained in Sofia, with 30 kg of marijuana found in a motor vehicle belonging to one of them. During a search of an address used by one of the suspects, an additional 4.5 kg of marijuana were seized, as well as 32 kg of a green powdered substance that tested positive for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

Operational and investigative activities established that the detained individuals had obtained the narcotics from a Bulgarian citizen residing in the town of Kyustendil. He was subsequently arrested, and 605,000 euros along with a large quantity of ammunition of various calibres were found and seized at a property used by him. In the Kyustendil region, above the village of Garlyano, more than 20 high-tech facilities were discovered where cannabis plants had been cultivated.

The number of finalised and enforceable court rulings in April 2026 includes 402 cases related to the production, processing, acquisition, possession and distribution of narcotic substances, and 103 cases concerning the illegal crossing of the state border by individuals or groups, as well as the unlawful facilitation of foreign nationals’ stay in or transit through the country.